Former sprinter Ashwini Nachappa alleges external pressure behind withdrawals in the IOA Sportspersons of Merit elections, while Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra urges greater transparency and fairness in sports governance.
Former Indian sprinter Ashwini Nachappa has alleged discrepancies in the Indian Olympic Association’s Sportspersons of Merit (SOM) elections on Wednesday. She also revealed that her withdrawal from the polls was due to ‘external pressure’.
The virtual IOA SOM elections on Monday saw President PT Usha fail to get elected, but other former athletes such as shuttler Sania Nehwal, long jumper Anju Bobby George, archer Dola Banerjee and hockey star Rani Rampal were elected in what turned out to be a controversial SOM election.
Nachappa was ‘asked to pull out’
Speaking to PTI, Nachappa claimed that her withdrawal was not voluntary and was made under external pressure, questioning transparency. She also expressed disappointment over the way athletes are treated, saying sporting achievements should not determine the respect they receive.
“I was asked to pull out. All those who withdrew were asked to withdraw under external pressure. It wasn’t voluntary, I can say that much… that speaks volumes about transparency.
“And that is so sad. For me, I think whatever it may be, you cannot demean an athlete of a stature. Winning or losing is immaterial,” Nachappa said.
The former Indian sprinter further lamented that despite expecting progress, she feels that attitudes and systems remain largely unchanged from when she competed three decades ago.
More from SportsBindra demands transparency
Olympic gold medal-winning Indian shooter Abhinav Bindra also called for fairness and transparency after inconsistencies were flagged in the IOA SOM elections.
On ‘X’ (Formerly Twitter), Bindra expressed that good governance, constitutional clarity, fairness and integrity are essential for the long-term progress of sport, and expressed hope that future institutional and electoral processes are conducted with greater transparency and accountability.
“I have always believed that the strength of an institution lies not in the absence of questions, but in its willingness to address them.
“Strong governance is not merely an administrative necessity; it is the foundation upon which lasting sporting progress is built. My sincere hope is that we move forward with a shared commitment to constitutional clarity, fairness and integrity in all our institutional and electoral processes,” Bindra wrote in the post.
IOA EO Sanjau Kumar responded to Bindra’s alleged discrepancies by highlighting that his role was to host elections under the existing rules, and any concerns beyond that scope were not within his authority to address.