Haryana Assembly condemns Abhay Singh Chautala for 'selfish' conduct as IOA chief

The Haryana Assembly on Thursday condemned the "obstinate and selfish conduct" of MLA and Indian Olympic Association President Abhay Singh Chautala "for causing incalculable damage to the career of sportspersons, sports bodies and the Olympic movement" of the country. (Read: Sports ministry forms committee to coordinate international events)

In a resolution moved by state's Parliamentary Affairs Minister Randeep Surjewala, the House called upon the Union Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs to immediately implement the 'Model Sports Code' in the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) as well as in sports federations/ bodies of the country. (Read: Put house in order and end Olympic exile, wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt tells IOA)

The code will ensure India's participation in all international events, secure the future of sportspersons and ensure a fair, just, equitable and morally appropriate administration of sports in India, the resolution said.

The Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs had come out with the 'Model Sports Code', prescribing definite guidelines with regard to eligibility of elections to the sports federations in India as also for holding fair and transparent elections, the resolution stated.

Unfortunately, all the tainted sports administrators-cum-politicians opposed the implementation of this code in the name of independence of Olympic Charter, it added.

The plea they took was that the model guidelines tantamount to interference in the independent working of the federations and IOA and that its affiliated federations are governed by International Olympic Committee-prescribed Olympic Charter, it said.

"They refuse to follow the law of the land in the guise of following the Olympic Charter, ignoring provisions relating to ethics," it stated.

The resolution also welcomed the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to include wrestling in the 2020 Olympics.

The state of Haryana and its sports persons, particularly our wrestlers, boxers, shooters, hockey and cricket players and javelin throwers have brought laurels to the country, it said.

Tainted politicians-cum-sports administrators, the resolution said, are, however, challenging the very foundation of India's shining place in the galaxy of nations in the sports arena.

"These self-serving sports administrators have put a question mark on the sporting career of budding players of India by converting the national sports federations/bodies into their personal fiefdoms," it said.

The resolution said, "bereft of the national interest, their only purpose is to keep occupying their position in the sports federations."

On November 25 2012, a group of tainted sports administrators bulldozed the election of Abhay Singh Chautala as the President of the IOA, the resolution said.

This was done despite the fact that Chautala stood chargesheeted under Section 13 (1) & (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 by a Special CBI court at New Delhi and there were prohibitory orders passed by the IOC for not holding such meeting till appropriate amendments on 'ethics and suitability' had been carried out in the constitution of IOA.

In an unprecedented case in India's history, this led to suspension of IOA by the IOC, bringing disgrace and putting future of lakhs of sports men and women into jeopardy, the resolution said.

It further said that Abhay Singh Chautala had been the President of the All India Amateur Boxing Association for the last 12 years (2000-2012).

On September 23 2012, Abhay Singh Chautala got himself elected as Chairman and his brother-in-law Abhishek Matoria as the President of the All India Amateur Boxing Association.

Even this election has been rejected by the International Amateur Boxing Association, the resolution said, adding that the international body has suspended the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation.