Now, taekwondo body suspended

In a fresh embarrassment for India, the International Taekwondo-Do Federation (ITF) has suspended the Taekwondo Federation of India citing the Indian Olympic Association’s suspension from its parent body for not following Olympic Charter.

“Further to the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) suspension imposed on the Indian Olympic Association, the ITF has decided to provisionally suspend the Taekwondo Federation of India (TFI),” an ITF communication has stated.

DNA has learnt that the letter of suspension came a couple of days back after the complaints from within the TFI officials opposed to the president Harish Kumar toeing the line of banned body led by Abhay Singh Chautala. However, the official suspension letter has not mentioned anything like that and only spoke about IOA’s suspension by the IOC.

“There were complaints from some of our officials to the international body regarding our president’s activities ever since IOA’s suspension last month. Instead of trying to save India of further embarrassment, our president Harish Kumar is sharing stage with suspended and tainted IOA officials like Lalit Bhanot,” a senior TFI officials told this paper on Thursday.

The TFI is the second Indian sports body, after Indian Amateur Boxing Federation, to be suspended. The role of its president is likely to come under scrutiny during the TFI executive council and general body meetings in Bhopal on January 18, 2013.