P. T. Usha, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president, is looking forward to working closely with the newly elected International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Kirsty Coventry and feels her election victory will further strengthen the fight against doping in sports.
“There is something special about her. She is an aggressive lady, and I am sure she will perform well because of her qualities. It will also mean that a lot of doping will be restricted,” Usha said.
Coventry, a seven-time Olympic medallist from Zimbabwe, recently made history by becoming the first woman and the first from Africa to take over as the IOC president, starting in June.
“I’m happy that a woman has become president,” she said in a conversation with Sportstar in New Delhi. “Africa and Asia have more say in the Olympic movement now. She is a gold medallist at the Olympics and the first from Africa to head the IOC. That is a great development for women’s empowerment. At home, I want more women to join federations. It will be good for sports overall. I want to meet her as soon as possible, but there are some limitations in the IOA. Hopefully, it should happen quickly.”
Off-side | Will Coventry’s leadership shape a more inclusive Olympic future?
Usha, the first woman president of the IOA, is confident of getting Coventry-led IOC’s support in fulfiling India’s quest to host the 2036 Olympics. “The IOC can’t ignore India’s potential. They must have plans for India’s sports development. The IOC team and the IOA can work to make the most of it. India can host many events,” Usha said. “India can attract a lot of IOC Solidarity Funds. We should use this opportunity to push our dream of hosting the Olympics.”
The Paris 2024 Games was the first gender-neutral Olympics with fifty per cent participation from women, and Usha is happy with India’s contribution to the overall effort. “We were told by the IOC that we must go beyond our 20 per cent participation of women in Tokyo. I am happy to note that in Paris, we had 35 per cent women.”
The four-time Asian Games gold medallist, however, feels that Indian sports administration can learn from the IOC’s gender inclusive policies. “IOC gives a lot of importance to women. It is not namesake like in India, where you give a woman a chance, but then you don’t allow her to do the work.”
Since she was elected the president of the IOA in December 2022, Usha has been at loggerheads with the Association’s Executive Committee with both side’s accusing each other of violating procedures.
