India is focusing not just on strengthening infrastructure capabilities, but also intellectual preparedness as it eyes hosting rights for the 2036 Olympic Games, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha said on Wednesday. The former track and field star noted India’s engagement with the quadrennial international games goes beyond competitive sports to embrace its true spirit of promoting peace and cultural exchange. She was addressing the 1st International Olympic Research Conference at Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU) near Dehgam in Gandhinagar district.

The four-day conference has been organised by the Bharat Centre for Olympic Research and Education (B-CORE) of the RRU, an institution of national importance under the Union home ministry.

In her address, Usha said thanks to the conference, representatives of various Olympic studies and research centres from across the world as well as experts from diverse fields have converged in India.

“India’s engagement with the Olympic movement is at a transformative moment, one that goes beyond competitive sports to embrace the true spirit of Olympisim — that is promoting peace, education and cultural exchange through sports,” she insisted.

“What makes this conference significant is its timing. As India intends to host the (2036) Olympics, we are not just strengthening our infrastructure capabilities, but our intellectual and research preparedness too,” said the former athlete, who dominated Asian track and field in the 1980s.

The IOA president maintained the conference will serve as a platform where global expertise meets Indian innovation through discussion on urban transformation, technological advancements, sustainability and inclusive governance.

One of the main purposes of the conference is to demonstrate India’s holistic approach to sports development and its role in societal progress, Usha emphasised.

“This gathering gave a powerful message to the international sporting community – that is India’s commitment to contributing meaningfully to the global Olympic movement through research, innovation and knowledge exchange,” she opined.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 38th National Games in Dehradun on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his government is putting all its might behind the ambitious bid to bag the hosting rights of 2036 Olympics, which will take Indian sports to new heights and create opportunities across different sectors.

In his address at the conference, which will conclude on January 30, IOA vice-president Ajay Patel said the conclave is a reflection of India’s evolving sporting vision.

Under the leadership of PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, India is transforming sports into a national mission of empowerment and innovation, he maintained.

“Research is our most powerful tool. During the conference, we should discuss critical questions, such as how sports infrastructure can drive urban regeneration, what economic models can make mega events financially sustainable and how do we ensure technological innovation benefits people,” Patel noted. PTI PJT PD RSY

Indian Olympic Association president PT Usha feels the axing of medal-yielding sports such as wrestling, hockey and badminton from the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games programme is “disappointing” for the country but the approach to reduce cost would ensure that the event continues to find hosts in future. The 23rd edition of the Games is scheduled to take place from July 23 to August 2, marking the Scottish capital’s return as host after 12 years. Most of the National Sports Federations have been critical of Glasgow’s decision to exclude hockey, badminton, wrestling, cricket, shooting, TT, and squash from the roster and have even questioned the relevance of the Games after this move.

But Usha said the reasons can’t be completely ignored.

“The reduction in the sports programme for the 2026 Commonwealth Games is disappointing, but I am sure that you will understand that 2026 games serve as a bridge to the future of the CWG,” Usha read out a written statement to PTI Videos on Wednesday.

Glasgow stepped in to save the Games after original host Victoria (Australia) backed out citing ballooning cost. It has less than two years to complete preparations and the organisers said they have tried to ensure that financial and operational risks are reduced by their conservative approach.

While India would lose out on a lot of medals, Usha backed the idea of reduced cost and lower environmental impact due to a pruned schedule of 10 events to be conducted at four venues within an eight-mile radius.

“The approach aims to reduce costs, lower environmental impact, and increase social benefits, such progressive and sustainable model is very exciting as it will enable more countries to host the Games in future,” she explained.

“Given the limited time-frame and financial constraints, focus of CGF has been to deliver a high-quality Games in a financially responsible way, with emphasis on minimising risks and prioritising athletes and sports,” said one of India’s greatest athlete.

Usha said CWG grew from being a 10-sport event up until 1998 and can go back to expanding itself in future once a stable model of hosting the event is figured going forward.

“Historically, CWG featured around 10 sports and since 1998, programme has expanded to include 15 to 20 sports, and flexibility in future will be crucial for hosts,” she added.

“I have had discussion with CGF president and he has assured me that exclusion of certain sports from the 2026 programme doesn’t set a precedent for future games, and all CWG sports remain important to CGF, with opportunity to return in future editions,” she said.

The sports programme will include Athletics and Para Athletics (Track & Field), Swimming and Para Swimming, Artistic Gymnastics, Track Cycling and Para Track Cycling, Netball, Weightlifting and Para Powerlifting, Boxing, Judo, Bowls and Para Bowls, and 3×3 Basketball and 3×3 Wheelchair Basketball.

Vinesh Phogat (L) and PT Usha© X (formerly Twitter)

Indian Olympic Association Treasurer Sahdev Yadav on Tuesday hit back at president PT Usha for claiming that IOA Executive Committee members were not agreeing on a proposal to felicitate Paris Olympics medal-winners, saying her assertion is a “blatant lie”. Usha on Monday said that it was “deeply concerning” that the EC members failed to honour Olympic medallists and accused the Finance Committee of blocking funds intended to support Indian athletes’ preparation for the Paris Games.

In a rebuttal to Usha’s claims, Sahdev said, “… there has been no discussion with EC members nor any official proposal in writing for organizing a felicitation ceremony for the medallists of Paris Olympics 2024.” Sahdev, who is also the president of the Indian Weightlifting Federation, accused Usha of “spreading lies” and “cooking up” things instead of taking responsibilities as per the IOA constitution.

“…we fail to understand why IOA President is spreading lies across the whole country, to put down the EC members, which does not have any proof nor hold any genuine ground,” he said.

“… her repeated efforts and proposals are nothing but blatant lies which has been cooked by the President every now and then and shedding crocodile tears in front of the media.” India secured six medals in the Paris Olympics, including two historic bronze finishes by young shooter Manu Bhaker, but Usha on Monday said the “EC does not want to celebrate their success” and it makes her “very sad.” “These athletes have made the nation proud, and it is the responsibility of the IOA to celebrate their achievements with the respect they deserve.

“It is deeply concerning that, even after returning home in mid-August, the EC has failed to discuss or take any steps towards organizing a formal felicitation ceremony,” she had said in a statement.

She had also revealed that a proposal for a preparatory grant of Rs two lakh for each Olympic-bound athlete and Rs one lakh for each coach had been blocked by the Finance Committee, notably by Sahdev.

Reacting to this, Sadev said, “This is for the information of everyone that any proposal recommended and approved by the EC members and finance committee has been paid without any delay by Mr Sahdev Yadav, Treasurer of IOA.” The internal feud within the IOA has been on since the appointment of Raghuram Iyer as its CEO on January 5. Iyer has Usha’s backing while the EC members are unanimous in demanding his removal.

The bone of contention has been his salary of Rs 20 lakh per month, along with perks.

On September 26, an EC meeting was called to resolve the issue on the insistence of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) but the deadlock remained.

On Saturday, the 12 EC members sent a letter to senior International Olympic Committee (IOC) official Jerome Poivey, accusing Usha of running the organisation in an “autocratic” manner after she rejected their demand to remove Iyer as IOA CEO during the contentious meeting.

Usha had called the accusations “malicious and false,” asserting that they were aimed at undermining her leadership and the efforts to improve Indian sports.

Accused of running the Indian Olympic Association in an “autocratic” manner, its president PT Usha on Sunday hit back at the revolting executive council members, saying they “seem more focused on self-serving power play and monetary gain” than working for the betterment of the country’s sport. In an official press release, Usha also alleged that “some of these EC members have very questionable track records, including allegations of gender bias and even cases of sexual harassment filed against them”. “In my 45-year-long career as a sportsperson representing India … I have never encountered individuals so indifferent to the aspirations of our athletes and our nation’s sporting future … these individuals seem more focused on self-serving power play and monetary gain through their prolonged presence and control in sports administration,” Usha said.

“Further, it is essential to bring to light that some of these EC members have very questionable track records, including allegations of gender bias and even cases of sexual harassment filed against them,” said the track legend without specifying any particular case or giving specific names.

On Saturday, 12 members of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Executive Council shot off a letter to senior International Olympic Committee (IOC) official Jerome Poivey, accusing Usha of running the organization in an “autocratic” manner and with a “my way or the highway” approach.

They had sent the letter to Poivey, the head of Institutional Relations and Governance at the IOC, after Usha rejected their demand of removing Raghuram Iyer from the IOA CEO’s post during a stormy executive council meeting.

The revolting EC members wrote to Poivey that Iyer’s appointment is yet to be ratified and they will re-advertise for the position of the IOA CEO, “aiming to appoint a suitable candidate within the next two months”.

Senior vice president Ajay H Patel, vice presidents Rajlaxmi Deo and Gagan Narang, Treasurer Sahdev Yadav, Joint Secretaries Alaknanda Ashok and Kalyan Chaubey, other Executive Council members Amitabh Sharma, Bhupender Singh Bajwa, Rohit Rajpal, Dola Banerjee, Harpal Singh and Yogeshwar Dutt had signed the letter.

Terming the accusations made by the 12 EC members as “malicious and false”, Usha said they “are only intended to malign my leadership and the efforts of those working diligently towards the betterment of Indian sports”.

“One of the most egregious claims made by these EC members is questioning Mr. Raghuram Iyer’s appointment as IOA Chief Executive Officer. It is important to clarify that his appointment, made in January 2024, was carried out in strict accordance with the IOA constitution,” she said in Sunday’s press release.

“This malicious letter from the 12 members of the IOA EC is part of a much broader attempt to hinder the progress of Indian sports and undermine the positive developments that we, as a collective, have worked hard to achieve. These actions not only tarnish the image of Indian sports.” Usha also levelled charges against Yadav and the Finance Committee members for “surreptitiously writing off large sums of money owed to the IOA”.

“Recently, during the CAG audit, it has come to my attention that IOA Treasurer Mr. Sahdev Yadav, in connivance with the members of the IOA Finance Committee headed by Mr. Ajay Patel and comprising of Mrs. Rajlaxmi Singh Deo, Mr. BS Bajwa, Mr. Amitabh Sharma, Mr. Rohit Rajpal, Lt. Gen. Harpal Singh and Ms. Monal Choksi have surreptitiously written off large sums of monies owed to the IOA,” she said.

“Additionally, a case of using the IOA’s PAN card by the Ad hoc committee in charge of Volleyball, headed by Mr. Rohit Rajpal and its member Ms. Alaknanda Ashok, is also being investigated since it was done without the necessary approvals.

“The former Acting CEO, Mr. Kalyan Chaubey bypassed IOA General Assembly to grant affiliation to the Taekwondo Federation of India, which is not recognised either by its World or Asian Federation, thereby causing imminent harm to our hard-working Taekwondo athletes.” She said despite these serious accusations, the revolting EC members continue to hold positions within the IOA and other National Sports Federations.

In a September 10 letter, Usha had sought explanation from Yadav on the allegations of “filing and furnishing false information in the IOA, misappropriation and writing off public money belonging to the IOA for the benefit of the IWLF (Indian Weightlifting Federation)”.

The controversy is related to an amount of Rs 1.75 crore released to the IWLF by the Suresh Kalmadi-led Organising Committee of the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games on the instructions of the sports ministry in order the pay doping fine to the international body (International Weightlifting Federation).

In reply to Usha’s letter, Yadav, who was IWLF Secretary General at the time, had claimed that the loan amount was waived off by the IOA after the completion of the 2010 CWG.

Usha also re-iterated that despite his official appointment, Iyer has not been paid a single rupee till date.

“The delay in paying his salary is solely because certain EC members continue to defy the provisions of the IOA Constitution, obstructing necessary progress and decision-making.

“If these individuals were genuinely concerned about transparency, one must then question their vehement denial for recording of our Executive Council meetings. A true commitment to transparency would embrace accountability, but their actions clearly speak otherwise.” “I stand firm in my commitment to the values of integrity, transparency, and the upliftment of Indian sports.”

Indian Olympic Association President PT Usha had another heated confrontation with the body’s Executive Council on Thursday after a majority of its members reiterated their opposition to Raghuram Iyer’s appointment as CEO but the embattled track-and-field great refused to back down and rejected their demand for his removal. The main agenda of the meeting called by Usha was ratification of Iyer’s appointment as CEO on January 5 but it ended in a deadlock. With both sides sticking to their earlier stands, the bitter feud is expected to worsen in the coming days.

“They want to re-initiate the whole process, they want to re-advertise afresh. It’s like saying we don’t want this person and let us start the process from the scratch,” a furious Usha said after the meeting.

“This process (of appointment of CEO) took two years and now they want to start all over again. This is going to have repercussions (from the IOC). It can jeopardise India’s chances of bidding for and hosting the 2036 Olympics,” she warned.

“I am not going to accept this. I have told this to the IOC (International Olympic Committee). I am not a quitter, I am not going anywhere without cleaning the IOA,” she asserted.

Interestingly, IOC Director Jerome Poivy joined the meeting online and watched the confrontation unfold.

Undeterred by Usha’s warnings, 10 members of the EC, who attended the meeting in person, issued a statement, saying that they have decided to re-initiate the process of appointment of the CEO.

“The ratification of Mr lyer as the CEO was not approved. Further it was decided that process of the appointment of the CEO be re-initiated with new terms of reference,” the statement said.

They stated that IOC representative called the entire fiasco “an internal matter of the IOA” and had “no specific views or interference” on the subject.

Before joining the IOA, Iyer had worked as EO of IPL sides Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants. He had also held administrative roles in football’s Indian Super League and Ultimate Table Tennis.

“The Members further, in the presence of the IOC Director, stated that the process for the advertisement of the CEO should be initiated at the earliest where it was anticipated that the appointment can be concluded in the next two months,” the statement from the revolting EC members read..

Senior vice president Ajay H Patel, vice presidents RajLaxmi Deo and Gagan Narang, Treasurer Sahdev Yadav, Joint Secretary Alaknanda Ashok, other Executive Council members Amitabh Sharma, Bhupender Singh Bajwa, Rohit Rajpal, Dola Banerjee, and Yogeshwar Dutt were present in person.

Joint Secretary Kalyan Chaubey and Executive Council member Harpal Singh joined online.

The members felt that while a “CEO is a must and should be appointed”, but voted against the nomination of lyer for the position.

“…the agenda was to put to vote where the 10 physical members and 2 members who joined online expressed their dissent on the agenda and the vote was 12 against the ratification of the CEO.” “…the acting CEO Kalyan Chaubey, who is the Joint Secretary of the IOA, shall continue to discharge the duties as per the provisions laid out in the Constitution,” the statement of the majority EC members said.

Usha, on her part, said that the EC members have gone back on their word as they had agreed to the appointment of the CEO in the January meeting.

“The EC meeting held in January was video-recorded. I asked each one of them whether they agree to the appointment of Iyer as the CEO or not. All of them said Iyer is good and everything about him is all right. Only his salary will have to be negotiated,” she stated.

“I asked them what is the lower rate (limit) and what is the higher limit of his salary. That (salary) they did not mention.

“Then his (Iyer’s) appointment was done and I communicated it to IOC and OCA and everybody accepted it.” The bone of contention is the Rs 20 lakh per month salary for Iyer, along with other perks.

Usha said she offered to renegotiate Iyer’s salary in Thursday’s meeting but the 12 EC members were adamant about starting the process afresh.

She said the latest development could jeopardise India’s chances of bidding for the 2036 Olympics.

“Only after the appointment (of the CEO) was done, the Future Host Commission agreed to have a dialogue with us, otherwise they would not agree to it. The CEO will have to lead the negotiations, we have to show professionalism, otherwise how would we got to present our bid?” she asked.

She said the IOC could have taken a drastic step even before the Paris Olympics but desisted from that.

“I was there, that is why IOC was waiting for two years. It (IOC action) could have happened before Paris Olympics but they waited.

“Iyer was in the Co-ordination Committee and not the IOA president, that was why we could compete under Indian flag and not under the IOC flag.” 

She said Iyer and her personal assistant Ajay Narang, whose appointment was “cancelled” by the majority EC members, have not got salary since their appointment. 

Indian Olympic Association President PT Usha has issued a show cause notice to the body’s Treasurer Sahdev Yadav following a complaint that his election violates the country’s National Sports Code. In a letter dated September 10, Usha asked Yadav to give his reply by September 24. “I am writing to you to bring to your attention a formal complaint that the Indian Olympic Association has recently received concerning your eligibility to contest the position of Treasurer in the last elections.

“The complainant cites a ruling from Hon’ble High Court, which, according to the complainant, raises concerns about your eligibility to stand for election,” Usha wrote in her letter to Yadav.

A copy of the letter has also been marked to Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and International Olympic Committee’s Associate Director of NOC (National Olympic Committee) Relations Department Jerome Poivey.

It has been alleged that Yadav and some other officials are continuing in office in violation of the age and tenure cap set by the sports code, which makes it mandatory for them to step aside after 12 consecutive years in office.

Yadav has been a former secretary of the Indian Weightlifting Federation and has been on its board for 15 years.

The complainant has raised similar concerns on non-adherence of the Sports Code against other members of the IOA including National Rifle Association vice-president Ajay Patel, Wushu Federation of India’s Bhupinder Singh Bajwa, and Rowing Federation of India president Rajlakshmi Singh Deo among others.

The complainant, whose identity has been withheld by the IOA, has demanded immediate removal of these individuals from the IOA executive committee.

The development adds to the ongoing turf war within the IOA.

Usha has been at loggerheads with the body’s Executive Council members from earlier this year, stating that they were trying to sideline her by their acts of defiance, including issuing termination letters to an official appointed by her.

This was after a majority of EC members had claimed that they had signed a suspension order declaring Raghuram Iyer’s appointment as IOA CEO in January as null and void.

The EC members also claimed that they had “terminated” Ajay Narang from the post of executive assistant to IOA president.

Usha had acknowledged the receipt of the termination letter served to Narang by the EC members but rejected it as “absolute nullity”.

PT Usha had met Vinesh Phogat when the wrestler failed her weigh-in© X (Twitter)

Olympics 2024: Vinesh Phogat with Indian Olympic Association president PT Usha.© Twitter

Drawing criticism for Vinesh Phogat’s weigh-in fiasco, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha on Sunday made it clear that it is the responsibility of the athlete to manage their weight and the attack on its medical team, especially Chief Medical Officer Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala is “unacceptable and worthy of condemnation.” The 29-year-old Vinesh was left heartbroken after she was disqualified ahead of her gold-medal bout in freestyle 50kg for being 100gm overweight in the morning weigh-in, crushing her Olympic dreams and prompting her to announce her retirement.

The incident started a blame game, also leading to an uproar in the Parliament, with some sections attacking Dr Pardiwala and his team for negligence with former IOA chief Narendra Batra indicating that Vinesh’s diet might have had something to do with her disqualification.

“…the responsibility of weight management of athletes in sport like wrestling, weightlifting, boxing and judo is that of each athlete and his or her coach and NOT that of the IOA-appointed Chief Medical Officer Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala and his team,” Usha said in a statement.

“…the hate directed at the IOA medical team, especially Dr. Pardiwala, is unacceptable and worthy of condemnation.” She hoped that those rushing to judge the IOA medical team “would consider all facts before arriving at any conclusions”.

Vinesh had scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the gold medal bout in her category on Tuesday night. But her post-participation weight was found to have increased and despite all measures, which included cutting off Vinesh’s hair, she was found to be 100gm extra during the morning weigh-in.

“Each Indian athlete in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in such sport had his or her own support team. These support teams have been working with the athletes over so many years,” Usha said.

“The IOA appointed a medical team a couple of months ago, primarily as a team that would assist in the recovery and injury management of athletes during and after their competition. This team was also designed to support athletes who did not have their own team of nutritionists and physiotherapists.” Vinesh has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), demanding that she be awarded a joint silver medal with Cuban wrestler Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, who had lost to the Indian but was later promoted to the final following the Haryana wrestler’s disqualification.

American Sarah Hildebrandt won the gold after defeating Lopez in the title clash.

The decision on Vinesh’s appeal is expected to come on August 13.