New Delhi: In what could turn out to be an embarrassment for Commonwealth Games boss Suresh Kalmadi, the Ministry of Sports has threatened to derecognise the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) for failing to comply with Government guidelines.
Suresh Kalmadi is the life president of the Athletics Federation of India but his association may soon stop receiving Government patronage. And that move could severely dent the preparations of Indian athletes who are in training for the Delhi games.
CNN-IBN has learnt that the Ministry could derecognise the Athletics Federation of India for 2010.
The Ministry had asked all federations to provide details under various heads but the AFI has not replied on nine specific queries, including audited accounts and annual reports for the past 2 years.
The Ministry has also raised objections on several constitutional discrepancies. It says the AFI is without a president after Umrao Singh passed away in April 2009. The Ministry wants to know why vacancy still exists.
According to the Ministry, the AFI cannot be considered a legal entity as it was registered under the name Amatuer Athletic Federation of India. It has asked the federation for a revised registration certificate.
This is a sharp indictment of the big fish, especially as AFI Secretary General Lalit Bhanot is also Secretary General of the 2010 Organising Committee and Joint Secretary of the Indian Olympic Association of which Kalmadi is the undisputed boss.
Bhanot told CNN-IBN: “We have given all the details to the Ministry. We had informed them and the registrar of societies when we changed our name a few years back. The International Athletics Federation, the Asian Athletics Association and others have acknowledged this change. We will clarify everything to them.”
The AFI has 30 days to get things right if they are to be re-considered for recognition. If they fail to do so, they will lose all Government grants and also the exemption on income tax but most importantly no Indian Athletes can compete abroad and no International Athletics event can be held in India.
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