Commonwealth Games scam-tainted Suresh Kalmadi is set to preside over a crucial two-day Congress of the Asian Athletics Association starting in Pune on Sunday, which will also vote on his re-election bid as president of the continental body.
Suresh Kalmadi brought several top-class events to India including the 2003 Afro Asian Games, the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games, the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Unfazed at being ousted from the Asian Athletics Association, scam-tainted Suresh Kalmadi said losing the presidential re-election bid to Qatar's Dahlan Jumaan Al-Hamad has actually given him a chance to work at the "grassroots" level.
Dahlan Jumaan Al-Hamad, the newly-elected president of the Asian Athletics Association, emphasised that the competition and development programs of the federation need to be reviewed and strategic marketing is required to attract corporate sponsors.
The scam-tainted Suresh Kalmadi was on Monday ousted as president of the Asian Athletics Association, losing the re-election bid to Qatar's Dahlan Jumaan Al-Hamad on the opening day of the continental body's two-day Congress in PUne.
It is learnt that Bhanot has been recommended by the Athletics Federation of India to contest the AAA elections to be held on June 1 prior to the Asian Athletics Championships at Wuhan in China from June 3 to 7.
Scam-tainted Suresh Kalmadi's association with any sports body has ended as he lost the membership of the powerful Council of the International Association of Athletics Federation.
Beat Sergie Bubka by 115 votes to 92 in a ballot of the governing body's 50th Congress