Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha found herself embroiled in yet another heated clash with the IOA’s Executive Council (EC) on Thursday. (More Sports News)
The tension centred around the appointment of Raghuram Iyer as CEO, with a majority of the EC members reiterating their opposition to his appointment. Despite the mounting resistance, Usha stood firm and refused to entertain their demand for Iyer's removal.
The meeting, convened by Usha, aimed to finalize Iyer's appointment as CEO, a decision taken on January 5. However, the gathering ended in a stalemate, as both sides held on to their previous positions. The deadlock signals a deeper internal conflict within the IOA that could intensify in the coming days.
"They want to re-advertise the position and restart the entire process. It's essentially like saying they don't want this person," said a visibly frustrated Usha post-meeting. "The process to appoint a CEO took two years, and now they want to begin from scratch.
This could have serious repercussions from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and might jeopardize India's chances of bidding for and hosting the 2036 Olympics," she warned.
"I am not stepping down. I’ve informed the IOC about this, and I’m committed to cleaning up the IOA," Usha asserted.
An IOC representative, Jerome Poivy, attended the meeting virtually and observed the escalating confrontation. Despite Usha’s warnings, 10 EC members attending in person released a joint statement afterwards, declaring their intention to restart the CEO appointment process.
"The ratification of Mr. Iyer as CEO was not approved. The process for the CEO's appointment will be re-initiated with new terms of reference," the EC members' statement read. They further claimed that the IOC’s stance on the matter was that it remained an "internal issue of the IOA," and that the IOC would not interfere.
Raghuram Iyer's appointment has been contentious despite his credentials, which include stints as an executive officer for IPL teams Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants, as well as administrative roles in the Indian Super League and Ultimate Table Tennis.
The EC members indicated that the fresh advertisement for the CEO position should be released soon, with a new appointment expected within the next two months.
Among those present at the meeting were Senior Vice President Ajay H. Patel, Vice Presidents RajLaxmi Deo and Gagan Narang, Treasurer Sahdev Yadav, Joint Secretary Alaknanda Ashok, and other EC members such as Amitabh Sharma, Bhupender Singh Bajwa, Rohit Rajpal, Dola Banerjee, and Yogeshwar Dutt. Joint Secretary Kalyan Chaubey and Harpal Singh attended the meeting virtually.
While the EC members agreed on the need for a CEO, they voted unanimously against Iyer's appointment. Out of the 12 members, all expressed their dissent either in person or online, and as a result, Iyer's ratification was rejected.
The statement noted that Joint Secretary Kalyan Chaubey would continue to serve as acting CEO until a new one is appointed, as outlined by the IOA Constitution.
Usha, however, claimed that the EC had gone back on its earlier agreement, pointing to the January meeting when, according to her, the EC members had approved Iyer's appointment. "In January, each one of them agreed that Iyer was the right choice for the CEO role, and only his salary needed to be discussed," she remarked.
The salary in question — ₹20 lakh per month, along with other perks—has been a sticking point. Despite Usha offering to renegotiate the salary at the latest meeting, the EC members remained firm in their call for a fresh recruitment process.
Usha further expressed concerns that the deadlock could harm India’s prospects of bidding for the 2036 Olympics. "Only after Iyer’s appointment was the Future Host Commission willing to engage with us. If we don’t demonstrate professionalism, how can we present our bid?" she asked.
"The IOC could have taken a drastic step before Paris, but they waited for two years because of my presence. That allowed us to compete under the Indian flag," she said.
Iyer and Usha's personal assistant, Ajay Narang, who was also dismissed by the EC, have not received their salaries since their appointments.
