New Delhi: IOA president-elect Abhay Singh Chautala today held Randhir Singh responsible for the national Olympic body`s suspension by the International Olympic Committee and demanded the former secretary general`s immediate withdrawal from the IOC.
Training his guns at Randhir, Chautala said the IOA executive board will pass resolution in its AGM here tomorrow, demanding the veteran sports administrator`s removal from the IOC.
"From the start to finish Randhir is responsible for the entire mess. To save his chair he can do anything. He should resign first (as IOC member from India) because he has spread all the dirt in Indian sports," Chautala said reacting to IOC`s decision to suspend IOA today because of government interference.
"Randhir should withdraw (his membership) from the IOC immediately. In tomorrow`s Annual General Meeting of IOA we will demand Randhir`s withdrawal from the IOC because he is no longer a member of the executive board of IOA," he said.
"We will pass a resolution to this effect in tomorrow`s meeting and then sent it across to IOC."
Chautala, who was elected unopposed as IOA president, said the suspension was a "one-sided decision."
"We had written to them, asking them to give some time to our two-member committee to tell them about our position," he said.
"They`ve not listened to our side. We will go to IOC again and explain to them how elections were carried out here."
Sports Minister Jitendra Singh also termed the IOC`s move as an "unfortunate decision" for Indian sports community.
"It is a very unfortunate decision for the sporting community. I still don`t know the details but once we learnt about the mess we wrote to the IOC but they never responded," he said.
The development, which puts a bar on the country`s Olympic participation, was largely expected after the IOA decided to go ahead with the elections tomorrow under the government`s Sports Code, defying the IOC`s diktat to hold the polls under the Olympic Charter.
The IOC had repeatedly told the IOA not follow the government`s sports code for the elections on the ground that it would be a violation of the Olympic Charter and compromise autonomy. But the IOA went ahead saying they were bound by the Delhi High Court order.
Suspension meant that the IOA will stop receiving IOC funding and its officials will be banned from attending Olympic meetings and events. India`s athletes will be barred from competing in Olympic events under their national flag, but they can participate under the IOC banner.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, December 04, 2012, 19:44