Suresh Kalmadi: More a politician than a sportsman

Has Suresh Kalmadi taken more out of Indian sports than given to it?

The 66-year-old Indian Olympic Association president’s interest in sports goes back to his early days when he schooled in Pune’s St Vincent’s school and later at the National Defence Academy (NDA).

“Suresh was a good athlete. He played good football and hockey,” says a close family member. He joined the Indian Air Force as a pilot officer a car accident put paid to his flying ambitions. He then started the Poona Coffee House (PCH) restaurant and
the Sai Service petrol station on JM Road along with his two younger brothers, Shridhar and Mukesh in 1975.

This was the time when he became the president of the Pune Youth Congress. He was involved in Sanjay Gandhi’s now-infamous family planning programme.

Kalmadi, who soon became blue-eyed boy of Sharad Pawar in Pune politics, clashed against VN Gadgil, then a Congress heavyweight. He made his first foray into sports management in state athletics. He organised the first Pune international marathon in 1983 and has been organising the event since.

This was the first step towards his becoming the president of the IOA.

Kalmadi entered the higher orbit of Indian politics in the 1980s when he first met Rajiv Gandhi during a NDA passing-out-parade. “They hit it off easily, perhaps because they were both pilots. It was Suresh who was responsible for introducing Sharad Pawar to Rajiv Gandhi in mid-80s,” says a family member.

He combined well with Pawar and brought the National Games to Pune in 1994.

Kalmadi is credited with being singularly responsible for creating the Balewadi sports stadium, which was originally being planned for Kolhapur.

He was also the moving force behind the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune, which was a success, in spite of hurdles created by Ajit Pawar, nephew of Sharad Pawar.

The ability to organise mega events has been his strengths and for added attraction, he would always pepper his shows with Bollywood stars. But with Commonwealth Games, he may have bitten off more than he can chew.

Apart from sporting events, Pune’s annual Ganesh Festival in association with the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation, was another of his prominent initiatives.

With inputs from Joe Williams and Ashish Phadnis