The International Golf Federation (IGF) is upset with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for interfering in the Indian Golf Union (IGU) elections. The IOA recognized a group led by Harish Kumar Shetty and ignored the group led by Brijinder Singh. The IGF believes the IOA has no right to do this.
The IOA said Shetty’s group was official in a letter sent out on December 30, 2024. However, the IGF fully supports the elections that Brijinder Singh’s group won on December 15, 2024. Both groups held their elections separately with different judges overseeing the process.
In a strong letter to IOA President PT Usha, IGF executive director Antony Scanlon expressed his concerns. He stated that the IGF sees no problem with Singh’s group, whose election followed the rules and the National Sports Development Code of India. The IGF believes the IOA is wrong to interfere in this election and that the association should respect the elected officials, which included Singh as president.
The Sports Ministry of India also criticized the IOA for recognizing the Shetty-led group. Scanlon pointed out that the IOA’s actions undermine the legitimate process of the IGU. He highlighted that it is not right for the IOA to support a different body that is not recognized by the IGF, as this goes against the Olympic guidelines.
Additionally, Scanlon criticized the IOA for removing golf from the upcoming National Games. He argued that this penalizes athletes and goes against the goals of supporting high-performance sports. He urged the IOA to reconsider and put the athletes first, instead of getting involved in political disputes.
This disagreement is unfortunate, according to Scanlon, who believes the actions of the IOA lack respect for the Olympic values that the IGF stands by. He also made sure to inform the International Olympic Committee (IOC) about this issue.
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