In signs of further strain in ties between the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) and the Delhi 2010 organisers, Indian Olympic Association chief Suresh Kalmadi today sought the recall of chief executive Mike Hooper but CGF president Mike Fennell rejected the demand.

Fennell told The Indian Express over phone from Jamaica: “I cannot accede to this request from Mr Kalmadi. We will issue a full statement on this tomorrow.”

On Monday, Fennell had announced the appointment of an independent panel of foreign experts to monitor preparations for Delhi 2010 on a monthly basis. This prompted the IOA to launch a scathing attack on the CGF today, especially against Hooper.

At a media briefing which began with the demand that Hooper be removed from Delhi — he has been living here for the past two years — and deteriorated to allegations of “imperialism” over the CGF’s critique of the Kalmadi-led Organising Committee (OC), the IOA put in motion events that it may have no control over in the days to follow.

The IOA recommended to the OC that the panel be rejected, and then launched a personal attack on Hooper, calling him “of no use” and an “impediment to the functioning of the OC”.

“Despite spending two years here, Hooper was hampering progress rather than being of any use. We have asked the CGF to call him back and send someone else, who can be useful to us, as his replacement,” Kalmadi told reporters.

Sitting alongside, BJP leader Vijay Kumar Malhotra, in his capacity as an executive board member of the IOA, went a step further: “These are Commonwealth Games and not Imperial Games. India is a sovereign country. We don’t want others to force things on us and keep us on tenterhooks every month.”

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