CHANDIGARH: Haryana Olympic Association president, Abhey Singh Chautala was on Friday elected Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Vice President for the fifth successive term in a row at the elections of the apex national sports body at Pune.

Suresh Kalmadi was also elected the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President for the fourth successive term. At the IOA annual general meeting today, election was held uncontested. V K Malhotra has been elected senior vice-president, while Randhir Singh and A.K. Mattoo has been re-elected as general secretary and treasurer. Vijay Kumar Malhotra was elected senior Vice President. Jagdish Tytler, R.K. Anand, Tarlochan Singh were also elected Vice President of IOA. Anurag Dhumal was elected Joint Secretary.

The apex sports body of the country Indian Olympic Association also reiterated its earlier stand that the Haryana Olympic Association, headed by Abhey Singh Chautala, is the legal HOA. Earlier also, IOA had recognised the Chautala Group as the sole authority on managing the sports activities in Haryana, a formal resolution was adopted and passed unanimously by the IOA in its executive as well as annual general body meeting held at the Olympic Bhawan in New Delhi.

The IOA strongly condemned the Haryana Government's attempt to interfere and to undermine the autonomy of HOA.  IOA today also appointed a three member committee headed by R.K. Anand to meet Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and persuade him to not to interfere in the sports bodies.

Table Tennis Federation of India president & Rajya Sabha MP Ajay Singh Chautala & Haryana INLD president Ashok Arora has congratulated the Abhey Singh Chautala, Sardar Tarlochan Singh for election as IOA vice president.