Veteran sports administrator V K Malhotra was today named by the government as head of the All India Council of Sports, which will have a host of eminent sports persons, including cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar and chess wizard Vishwanathan Anand, as members.
83-year-old Malhotra, who has reportedly quit as President of Archery Association of India after 40 years at the helm of affairs, will be given an equivalent rank of a Minister of State in the Union Council of Ministers.
Other former sportspersons in the council include P T Usha, Limba Ram, N Kunjarani Devi, IM Vijayan, Baichung Bhutia and P Gopichand.
"We congratulate Mr V K Malhotra on his appointment as All India Council of Sports President. He is stalwart in sports administration in the country. We hope he will a do great job in his new assignment," IOA Secretary General Rajiv Mehta told PTI.
IOA treasure Anil Khanna also welcomed Malhotra's appointment.
"He is a veteran administrator and brings a lot to the table with his vast experience. This is very welcome move," Khanna, who is also AITA President, told PTI.
The Council will be an advisory body for the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports and will advise the Ministry on matters relating to the promotion and development of sports and games in the country including popularising sports amongst the youth as a way of life; increasing outreach of sports to rural and tribal areas, areas affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE), North East and Jammu & Kashmir.
Among the officials in the council are the President and General Secretary of the IOA, Star India CEO Uday Shankar, Sports Authority of Gujarat Director General Sandeep Pradhan, Union Sports Secretary, Sports Secretaries of Madhya Pradesh and Assam, Sports Authority of India Director General, National Anti Doping Agency Director General, Vice Chancellor of Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education (LNIPE) and Joint Secretary in the Sports Ministry.
