Well-known sports administrator Suresh Kalmadi passes away
Indian sports lost a doyen as Suresh Kalmadi, former President of the Indian Olympic Association and a man who actively promoted athletics in India passed away on Tuesday at the age of 81 in Pune. Having begun his career as a fighter pilot in the Indian Force, Kalmadi moved to sports administration. He took to it with relish and was seen as powerful, yet not arrogant. In the good old days, sports administrators took up the job more out of passion rather than earning a salary or claiming allowances.
If the Nehru Stadium in New Delhi had witnessed the likes of legend Carl Lewis and Sergei Bubka many years ago, Kalmadi had made it possible. How he used his influence to bring those elite athletes and host Permit Meets at the Nehru Stadium in New Delhi was admirable.
His first tryst with hosting a big international meet was the Afro Asian Games in Hyderabad, in 2003. Much later, he was chairman of the Organising Committee of the 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games. Critics may say he was involved in ‘corruption’ but there is no doubting Kalamadi managed to pull off a Games of huge proportion. If there were ‘corruption’ issues, he alone was not responsible as the lack of coordination between the OC (Organising Committee) and interference from the Congress Governement was well-known.
For those who had interacted with Suresh Kalmadi, he was hospitable and ready to help. The way he handles giant egos of big athletes as well before the Commonwealth Games in 2010 was praiseworthy. Rather than handing over responsibility to others, he would be hands on.
Suresh Kalmadi was also famous for the way he hosted parties. It was his way of networking and he was a lavish host. Those fortunate to have been on his famous Cruise party during the Sydney Olympics still remember how he had wowed the audience. That apart, Kalmadi threw parties at his residence in New Delhi. The personal touch and being a gracious host meant he could draw crowds, from the political circles as well as sporting fraternity and the media.
As an administrator, Kalmadi treated his staff with warmth. There was no arrogance or being rude. It was in the same manner he dealt with the media as well, even if they had been critical. If athletics in India has been popularised, Suresh Kalmadi can take credit for it. After all, he had proved himself in the Asian athletics circles well. The sporting fraternity in India, led by Beijing Olympics gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, offered condolences to the late giant of sports administration.
