Pune (Maharashtra) [India], January 6 : India's seasoned sports administrator and former president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), Suresh Kalmadi, passed away in Pune on January 6. Kalmadi, who was 81, is survived by his wife Meera Kalmadi, daughters and son. The last rites were held at Pune's Vaikunth Crematorium today, as per a press release from the IOA.
He was a towering figure in Indian sports administration, having served not only as the president of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) but also as the president of the Asian Athletics Association. He was also president of the Indian Olympic Association for more than a decade.
Former minister revolutionised Indian sports in general and athletics in particular during his long tenure as president of the IOA.
"His (Kalmadi) contribution to Indian sports will be remembered for a long time. He revived the National Games which helped build modern infrastructure across the country," Lalit Bhanot, former secretary of AFI, said. "He introduced prize money track-and-field permit meets in the early 1990s and invited elite foreign athletes, including Olympic champions like Carl Lewis and Mike Powell, which changed the concept of sports in the country."
Kalmadi was president of the Indian athletics body from 1987 to 2006 and also served as member council of World Athletics. He was chief of the Asian athletics body for nearly a decade starting 2000.
As the president of the IOA (1996 to 2012), Kalmadi was instrumental in organising Afro-Asian Games in Andhra Pradesh. A former union minister, he was also chairman of the 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games organising committee.
"He will always be remembered as a dedicated and inspirational sports administrator whose unwavering commitment to the cause of the Indian athletics has left an indelible mark," Bahadur Singh Sagoo, president AFI said. "He also made efforts to initiate Railway travel concessions for sportspersons."
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