IOA officials spar over BFI, IABF

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NEW DELHI: Current Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president N Ramachandran and IOA secretary general Rajeev Mehta have locked horns over the issue of recognition to the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF), just six months after the IOA recognised the Boxing Federation of India (BFI).

The Abhay Singh Chautala-led coterie that ran the erstwhile Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF), was sidelined after world governing body AIBA and the International Olympic Council (IOC) de-recognised IABF for 'flawed and faulty elections' in 2014.

It is pertinent to noote that the IOA granted affiliation to the BFI in March this year.

With presidential elections to the IOA coming up in 2018, the issue has reared its head again, however. A Times of India report quotes unnamed IOA members as saying that in a desperate bid to hold on to his seat, Ramachandran has decided to broker a truce with Chautala and is prepared to even grant recognition to IABF.

In a letter dated October 23, Ramachandran wrote to Mehta: "Till date the IABF continues to be a member of the IOA. Kindly deposit the cheque. By a copy of this letter, I am requesting the treasurer (Anil Khanna) to issue a receipt."

Mehta this week responded by making it clear that the membership of IABF is 'in complete violation of Olympic Charter and constitution of the Indian Olympic Association'. He pointed out that the Ajay Singh-led BFI was granted due recognition in letter dated March 30, 2017, which has to be ratified IOA's executive council at its next general body meeting.

"In the recent months, there have been media reports and allegations that you compromise the principles of the Olympic movement for personal agenda. Your new directive to collect affiliation fee as an act of continuing membership of IABF is illegitimate and contradictory by all means. The only explanation to such defiance may be to suit yet another hidden agenda of yours," Mehta wrote in his letter to Ramachandran, accessed by TOI.

Singh, who is president of the BFI, told TOI, "IOA is risking India's position in the Olympic movement with their petty politics. Abhay Singh Chautala has been banned from holding any post in IOA or national federation. IABF as a body doesn't exist anymore... in fact IABF members resigned from their position and later put in their nomination to take part in BFI elections. BFI is recognised by AIBA as well as Sports Ministry as the national body. To claim that IABF is still a recognised federation just for garnering votes in IOA election is nothing but detrimental for the sport."

For the record, Singh is also the chairman of budget airline Spicejet.