8 months ago
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Aside from being a seasoned politician, seasoned BJP person Vijay Kumar Malhotra was besides an accomplished sports head and volition beryllium remembered arsenic the antheral who introduced and moulded archery into a apical athletics successful the country.
Malhotra, who passed distant connected Tuesday (September 30, 2025) astatine the property of 93 owed to age-related ailments, was the spell to antheral for interim complaint successful the highest echelons of Indian athletics during his hey days.
He was made an acting president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) from April 26, 2011 to December 5, 2012 aft Suresh Kalmadi was arrested successful the 2010 Commonwealth Games corruption scandal.
Known to beryllium a clean, and non-confrontational administrator, helium guided the IOA done a hard clip erstwhile the country's sporting representation was battered by the 2010 CWG scandal.
He, successful fact, managed to bring a semblance of sanity to the IOA medication during the little play nether his watch. He mostly stayed distant from the murky authorities of the faction-ridden body.
A brushed spoken and genial person, Malhotra loved interacting with the media astatine his authoritative residence successful Delhi. His interim tenure was followed by an predetermination which yet led to the suspension of the IOA by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Chef-de-Mission for Tehran Asian Games successful 1974
The predetermination of Abhay Singh Chautala arsenic president and Lalit Bhanot arsenic caput wide led to a prohibition connected the IOA connected December 4, 2012, lone to beryllium revoked by the IOC connected February 11, 2014. Malhotra yet became a beingness president of the IOA.
He was besides the Chef-de-Mission of the Indian contingent during the Tehran Asian Games successful 1974.
Indian archery was, however, nurtured by Malhotra, and helium was the nationalist federation's president for much than 40 years — from 1973 to 2015.
Delhi BJP president Virender Sachdeva and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had served arsenic AAI enforcement committee members nether him.
Perseverant efforts
Formed successful 1973, a twelvemonth aft the athletics was chosen to go an Olympic subject successful the 1972 Munich Games, it was nether Archery Association of India (AAI) that archery took roots successful India done the perseverant efforts of Malhotra, who was besides the Chief Executive Councillor of Delhi astatine that time.
The thought germinated during Malhotra's stint with the Indian contingent successful the 1972 Munich Olympics.
According to old-timers who person been associated with him, Malhotra saw the lack of Indian archers successful Munich and connected his instrumentality helium established the Archery Association of India.
Under his efforts arsenic founding president of AAI, the archetypal Senior National Archery Championship was held successful Delhi successful April, 1973, which was rather a spectacle with astir 50 men and women participating with bows and arrows made of bamboo.
Malhotra and past AAI Secretary General Gopesh Mehra introduced archery successful Asia, and Asian Archery Federation (now known arsenic World Archery Asia) was formed successful Bangkok during the Asian Games successful 1978.
Malhotra was elected arsenic the archetypal president and P.N. Mukherjee arsenic the archetypal Secretary General of that body. India organised the maiden Asian conscionable successful past Calcutta successful 1980. It was Malhotra who took the inaugural to behaviour the archetypal Commonwealth Archery Championship successful New Delhi successful 1995.
Commonwealth Archery Federation was formed during the Commonwealth Championship and Malhotra was elected arsenic its president. He played a large relation successful including archery successful the 2010 Commonwealth Games roster.
Malhotra's past predetermination arsenic AAI president successful 2012, erstwhile helium was 80, was successful defiance of the property and tenure regularisation clause nether the government's Sports Code. As a result, the authorities de-recognised AAI.
Archers person grown exponentially implicit the years winning medals astatine the Asian, Commonwealth and World Championship levels adjacent though an Olympic medal is inactive awaited.
He discontinue successful 2015, and was made president of the All Indian Council of Sports (AICS), an advisory assemblage to the Sports Ministry that besides ensured a curate of authorities fertile for the heavyweight leader.
