Suresh Kalmadi to contest in Asian Athletics Association elections

Undeterred by corruption charges and the subsequent court cases for his alleged involvement in the 2010 Commonwealth Games scam, Suresh Kalmadi will contest for the post of President of the Asian Athletics Association (AAA) today.

The 69-year-old is re-contesting the elections to retain the post for the fourth consecutive term. He was first elected to the position in 2000 and was re-elected for a third time in 2009. The elections will be held on his home turf - Pune.

Athletics associations from 45 countries will decide the fate of Mr. Kalmadi who is pitted against the Senior Vice-President of the body and also President of the oil-rich Qatar Athletic Association, Brig. Dalham al-Hamad.

Mr. Kalmadi's camp is confident of him winning the election and retaining his post as chief - one which he has held since 2000. The argument in Mr. Kalmadi's favour is that though he may have been pushed into a corner in India, he continues to hold a firm grip over sports associations in the Asian continent - several nourished and nurtured by him. Incidentally, this is the only sports body post (AAA president) that Mr. Kalmadi still holds.

But many sportspersons across the country feel that a tainted Mr. Kalmadi should not have entered the fray, at least till he is proven innocent by legal institutions, if at all.

However within the Asian body, the Pune MP still seems to enjoy enough support as Maurice Nicholas, secretary-treasurer of the AAA, told NDTV: "There are just charges against Kalmadi and those are yet to be proved in the court. He is still very much like any other member of the association. He has not been proven guilty."