Seemingly unfazed at being ousted from the Asian Athletics Association, scam-tainted Suresh Kalmadi on Monday said losing the Presidential re-election bid to Qatar’s Dahlan Jumaan Al-Hamad has actually given him a chance to work at the “grassroots” level.
“I have no issues today and I congratulate Mr Al-Hamad for being elected as President. I am rather relieved that I will be able to work at the grassroots level in athletics,” Kalmadi said after losing the vote during the ongoing AAA Congress here.
Kalmadi was presented a plaque by IAAF President lamine Diack at the Congress here.
The loss ended the veteran administrator’s 13-year reign at the helm. Kalmadi, who was jailed and later released on bail for his alleged role in the Commonwealth Games scam, lost 18-20 in the presidential elections held on the second and final day of the AAA Congress at a five-star hotel.
All the 45 member countries of the AAA voted through secret ballot in the presence of international parent body IAAF chief lamine Diack. There were seven invalid votes. Each country has one vote in the election.
Kalmadi, a former Indian Olympic Association President, will, however, continue to be a IAAF Council member till 2015 when the world body holds its elections.
The defeat also marked the end of 69-year-old Congress MP’s career as a sports administrator as he has already quit from any such post in the country last year after he was charge-sheeted and jailed for his alleged role in the CWG scandal.
Al Hamad, who was banking on the 12 votes from the Arab Block, had planned for the election meticulously. He reached Pune early and held separate talks with officials of other countries.
While announcing his candidature in May, Al Hamad had said if elected he would bring more sponsorship money while also stating that the sport in the continent lacks proper marketing.
“There are a lot of opportunities in Asia which we still do not utilise. I see the opportunity is there, but we are not trying to bring that opportunity through constructive planning. We lack in marketing side,” Al Hamad had said.
“The IAAF has many Asian sponsors. But AAA is not sponsored by anybody. And whyIJ Because we are not prepared. We don’t have that final product to present. That’s why we have to have it.
“And I believe that business people don’t come to you unless you are really prepared and you have the right product for them. So we need to have the right product for them, the right programme, the right staff, and then businesses come.”
The Kalmadi camp said he had done a lot for the growth of athletics in the last 13 years by increasing the number of competition.
“Before 2000, there were just two competitions — Asian Junior and Asian Senior Championships. Now we have so many other competitions — Asian Grand Prix Series, Asian All Star, Asian Marathon, Asian Walk Championships. So he has done a lot for Asian Athletics,” an official from the Kalmadi camp had said.