Taekwondo Federation of India suspended by international body: report

In another blow to India’s international sporting prestige, the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) has suspended the Taekwondo Federation of India (TFI) over the Indian Olympic Association’s failure to follow the Olympic Charter, according to a report in DNA. The paper quotes a letter from the ITF stating that “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).” [caption id=“attachment_571935” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Reuters[/caption] The paper claims that the letter was sent a few days because some association officials have complained about TFI president Harish Kumar aligning himself with Abhay Singh Chautala, who election as IOA president as not been recognised by the IOC. DNA quotes an unnamed senior official saying that they had complained Harish Kumar was “sharing the stage with suspended and tainted IOA officials like Lalit Bhanot.” The IOC suspended the IOA earlier this month over election violations. Subsequently, the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation was also suspended by its international counterpart. Read the full story here.