NEW DELHI: Suresh Kalmadi, parliamentarian and president of the amateur athletic federation of India, will be the chairman of the organizing committee for the first Afro Games to be held in New Delhi late next year.
A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the executive committee of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) here on Feb 21st.
IOA President B Sivanthi Adityan said at a press conference later “we are confident the games will be a great success.””
He cited the successful conduct of the Asian track and field meet in New Delhi last November as a pointer.
Adityan said the Afro Asian games will conducted by the IOA.
Another major decision taken was that India would bid for the 1998 Asian games making it the third Asiad to be held in this country, if allotted.
Adityan said IOA had received a letter from the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) asking it to write before May 31 this year, its intentions on the subject.
“India is already bidding for the 1998 commonwealth games. But, the house felt that if by any chance, that bid fails, the country could at least have an Asian game. We will write to OCA by the due date,” the IOA President said.
It was the first meeting of the IOA executive after the Auckland commonwealth games.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 2, 1990
