PT Usha accused of spreading ‘blatant lies’ over IOA Treasurer Sahdev Yadav’s felicitation of Olympic medalists

Indian Olympic Association Treasurer Sahdev Yadav on Tuesday hit back at President PT Usha alleging that IOA Executive Committee members were at odds over a proposal to felicitate the Paris Olympics medalists. She said her claim is a “blatant lie.” Usha said on Monday it was “very worrying” that European Commission members failed to honor the Olympic medalists and accused the Finance Commission of blocking funds meant to support the preparation of Indian athletes for the Paris Games. to support.

Refuting Usha’s claims, Sahdev said: “…there has been no discussion with EC members nor any official written proposal for organizing a felicitation ceremony for the medal winners of the 2024 Paris Olympics.” Sahdev, who is also president of the Indian Weightlifting Federation, accused Usha of “spreading lies” and “making things up” instead of taking responsibilities under the IOA Constitution.

“…we don’t understand why the IOA president is spreading lies all over the country, to bring down the members of the European Commission, which have no evidence and no real basis,” he said.

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

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

She had also revealed that a proposal for a preliminary grant of Rs two lakh for each Olympic athlete and Rs one lakh for each coach had been blocked by the Finance Commission, particularly by Sahdev.

Responding to this, Sadev said, “This is for the information of all that every proposal recommended and approved by the members of the EC and the Finance Committee has been paid for without any delay by Mr. Sahdev Yadav, Treasurer of IOA.” The internal feud within the IOA has continued since the appointment of Raghuram Iyer as CEO on January 5. Iyer has Usha’s support while EC members unanimously demand his resignation.

The bone of contention was his salary of Rs 20 lakh per month along with perks.

On September 26, at the insistence of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), an EC meeting was convened to resolve the issue, but the impasse persisted.

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

Usha had called the allegations ‘malicious and false’ and claimed they were aimed at undermining her leadership and efforts to improve Indian sports.

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