IOA Treasurer Refutes President PT Usha's Allegations on Paris Olympics Felicitations

IOA Treasurer Sahdev Yadav accused President PT Usha of lying about the Executive Committee's resistance to celebrating Paris Olympics medalists. PT Usha condemned EC's inaction in honoring the athletes and alleged fund blockage. Yadav countered, stating no official proposal was ever made, and accused Usha of maligning EC members.

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Treasurer, Sahdev Yadav, has vehemently refuted President PT Usha's claims that the IOA Executive Committee (EC) members failed to accept a proposal to honor Paris Olympics medalists, calling her remarks a 'blatant lie.'

In a statement on Monday, PT Usha expressed her deep concern, stating that the EC's failure to celebrate the achievements of Paris Olympics medal winners was both troubling and indicative of broader issues. She also accused the financial committee of obstructing funds intended to aid Indian athletes in their Paris Games preparations.

'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,' Usha noted in her press release.

Responding to these allegations, Sahdev Yadav issued a press release from the IOA dismissing Usha's comments as falsehoods. 'Mentioning the insensitivity of the EC members in failing to organize a felicitation ceremony for the Indian medallists in the Paris Olympics and her repeated efforts and proposals is nothing but blatant lies, which has been cooked by the President every now and then and shedding crocodile tears in front of the media,' Yadav stated.

Yadav further clarified that there had been no formal discussion or written proposal to the EC members about organizing a felicitation ceremony for the Paris Olympics medallists. 'To put the situation in perspective, there has been no discussion with EC members nor any official proposal in writing for organizing a felicitation ceremony for the medallists of the Paris Olympics 2024,' he added.

Yadav also criticized PT Usha for what he described as her failure to properly assume her responsibilities. 'Being the head of the family, instead of taking charge of responsibilities as per the IOA Constitution and working for the benefit of the organization and the athletes, we fail to understand why the President, IOA, is spreading lies across the whole country, to put down the EC members, which does not have any proof nor hold any genuine ground. 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,' Yadav concluded.

The tension within the IOA has escalated, with twelve EC members on September 26 sending a letter to senior International Olympic Committee (IOC) official Jerome Poivey, accusing Usha of running the IOA in an 'autocratic manner.'

PT Usha, responding to these allegations, stated, 'the accusations are intended solely to malign the leadership and efforts of those working diligently towards the betterment of Indian sports.' She also addressed the ongoing internal conflict, which centers around the appointment of Raghuram Iyer as the IOA CEO in January, asserting that the appointment was conducted in strict accordance with the IOA constitution.

(With inputs from agencies.)