CHENNAI: A day after Indian Olympic Association senior vice-president RK Anand told TNIE that he will not go to Lausanne for a meeting with the International Olympic Committee, Anil Khanna stepped down as acting president.
Khanna, who was a senior vice-president in the IOC executive council, told TNIE that he would not continue as the acting president and he has kept his participation at the IOC meeting open. “I have stepped down as acting president and would like to relax for a bit,” he said. When asked about his participation at the IOC meeting, he said “let’s see”.
“I just want to request all our IOA members to come together and cooperate with the government and under the guidance of the IOC get things back on track,” he said on Wednesday. Khanna, who also wrote a letter to all IOA members, said that he respected the IOC decision to not acknowledge the post of acting president and that he continued because of the High Court order, but would ask IOC later, “who would decided and interpret the law of the land?”
“Since the beginning of this month, the Government of India is making very sincere efforts to normalize the operations of IOA. Even the Hon’ble Supreme Court is sensitive to the views of the IOC in order to protect the interests of the Indian Sports Persons,” he wrote in the letter.
“I have already stated in my earlier letter of 18th September 2022 that it is the duty of the entire IOA family to join hands and cooperate with the Government and take steps under the guidance of the IOC and the Hon’ble Courts to hold free and fair elections, following principles of good governance, as per timelines to be decided mutually.”
“To bring greater harmony within the entire membership of IOA, and in order to achieve the above objective, I have decided to step down from the responsibilities and duties of the President bestowed upon me by the Constitution of IOA and the Hon’ble High Court,” said the letter. All eyes now will be on the Supreme Court that is hearing a case on the feasibility of appointing an independent administrator in the IOA who would also negotiate with the IOC.