Suresh Kalmadi Loses Asian Athletics Association Presidency Election

Controversial figure Suresh Kalmadi on Monday lost his position as President of the Asian Athletics Association after he lost his re-election bid to Qatar’s powerful rival Dahlan Jumaan Al-Hamad

Kalmadi lost in a tight contest, bringing an end to 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 also lose his membership of the IAAF Council which he has been holding since 2001 as he is no longer an area representative from the continental body.

Qatar Athletics Federation President Al Hamad, who is also the incumbent senior vice-president of the AAA as well as the IAAF, will hold office for just two years instead of four.

An AAA source said that the term of its president was curtailed so that it runs concurrently with that of the IAAF chief and it will revert to four years from 2015 onwards. 

“Al Hamaad will be president for only two years as AAA is changing cycle so that it is in sync with IAAF from 2015,” the official said.

Incumbent IAAF chief Lamine Diack’s term runs from 2011 to 2015.