IOA Executive Board to meet on March 2 to discuss Kalmadi

New Delhi: Faced with intense pressure from the International Olympic Council to act against Suresh Kalmadi, the IOA has called an emergency meeting of its Executive Board here on March 2 to discuss the issue.

According to IOA sources, the meeting has been called to discuss letters received from the IOC which had threatened to act on its own if the national sports apex body does not furnish what action it is going to take against Kalmadi. Despite the pressure from the IOC, Kalmadi was not thinking of resigning from the IOA President`s post. Instead, he shot off a letter to acting-president V K Malhotra, stating that he will not exert his rights and obligations as President of the IOA. "This is to further inform you that I am fully occupied with my Constituency and legal matters. There will be further prolonged absence from Indian Olympic Association. I will not be able to devote time to Indian Olympic Association. I will also not exert my rights and obligations as President of Indian Olympic Association," Kalmadi wrote in the letter to Malhotra. Meanwhile, the IOC has shot off another letter to the IOA to know what action it has taken on the sacked Commonwealth Games OC Chairman following the court cases. In the letter addressed to Malhotra, the IOC has directed the IOA to furnish by March 1 the details on the latest status on Kalmadi and what action it was planning to take. This is the third missive the IOC has despatched to the IOA after Kalmadi was sent to jail on corruption charges in hosting of the CWG in 2010 here. Kalmadi, who was granted bail by the Delhi High Court on January 19, has decided to step aside as the IOA president though he has not officially resigned from the post yet. The IOC had earlier asked the IOA for a report on Kalmadi`s "current and exact situation before the courts of justice". It had threatened to refer the case to its Ethics Commission at any moment, if the action taken by the IOA was not satisfactory. PTI