NEW DELHI: A fresh dispute broke out with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) insisting it would hold the special general assembly meeting at Madras while the requisitionists for such meeting contended the IOA was bound to hold the June 15 meeting here.

Replying to a letter served on the apex sports body by three of the 17 requistionists, IOA secretary general, Randhir Singh said at a press conference here that the said meeting could be held anywhere in India and not necessarily at Delhi as the requisitionists had demanded.

Citing clause six of IOA constitution, he said, since the president had convened the meeting, as demanded by some affiliated units, the same could be held anywhere in India.

He said, “The requisitionists fearing a defeat are now running away and are planning to hold a parallel meeting in Delhi. This was an expected game plan, knowing that they do not have the majority. Randhir Singh said, R.L. Anand, president of the amateur handball federation of India, who it’s one of the requisitionists, had himself called such a meeting at Trivandrum in 1987 while air vice marshal (retd) C.L. Mehta, president of the Indian weightlifting federation, had gone all the way to Tnvandrum to attend the 1987 meeting.

Randhir Singh said the IOA did not belong to a particular city or state as seemed to be the opinion of the requistionists, who had stated in the letter Tuesday that since a majority of the 50 affiliated units of IOA were based in and around the capital, Madras may not be convenient venue to hold such a meeting.

He said the IOA had 21 state Olympic associations and 29 national sports federation affiliated to it, spread all over the country.

The IOA had held its general election meeting during November 1988 at Madras, he said

It has sent the notice of special general assembly meeting at Madras on May 28 to all its affiliates based on the emergency executive council meeting decision, he said. “We are sportsmen, winning or losing is part of the game, but we won’t run away from the field. But the risk for these politicians of losing their move, to dislodge the executive council of the IOA.

Article extracted from this publication >> June 8, 1990