A day after the suspended Indian Olympic Association (IOA), headed by Abhay Singh Chautala, announced its panel for the meeting with the International Olympic Committee to present its case for lifting the ban, the IOC-recognised IOA boss Vijay Kumar Malhotra named his delegation.
Malhotra will himself lead the delegation as the acting president of the IOA along with N. Ramachandran (patron, Squash Rackets Federation of India), Tarlochan Singh (vice-president, Archery Association of India), and S. Raghunathan (president, Indian Kayaking Canoeing Association).
Coincidentally, Ramachandran, Tarlochan and Raghunathan are also in the panel named by Chautala-led IOA, which was suspended by the IOC, which found fault with its election process. The other members of this panel are Hockey India (HI) secretary general Narinder Batra, Jharkhand Olympic Association president R.K. Anand and Athletics Federation of India (AFI) president Adil Sumariwala.
Tarlochan, who figures in both panels, said only Malhotra has the right to name the delegation.
"The panel selected by Mr.Malhotra will only represent IOA since he is the only recognised by the IOC," Tarlochan told IANS.
The IOC in a letter to Malhotra dated May 2 asked him to confirm the names of its delegates who would be visiting Lausanne for a joint meeting with the IOC and India's sports ministry.
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"I will lead a three-member delegation for the meeting and the flight schedule will be sent to you in a couple of days," Malhotra Friday wrote in his letter to IOC president Jacques Rogge.
"This should be treated as the only official/authorised communication of the IOA regarding the composition of the delegation for the meeting," the letter added.
The sports ministry was alo surprised in the way the suspended IOA had picked its delegates to represent India.
"The six-member panel named by the suspended IOA was selected without our knowledge. I wonder, I am surprised if the IOC will entertain them," P.K.Deb, secretary, sports ministry, told IANS.
The sports ministry will be represented by Minister Jitendra Singh, P.K. Deb, Anil Kumar Singh (OSD to minister), India's first individual Olympic medallist Abhinav Bindra, and Olympian sailor Malav Shroff.