Kalmadi elected to IAAF Council

Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi has been elected to the council of the Interational Amateur Athletic Federation, becoming the first Indian to be included in the prestigious body.

Kalmadi, also president of the Amateur Athletic Federation of India and Asian Amateur Athletic Association, said over phone from Edmonton, Canada, that his aim would be to work for the development of athletics in Asia and developing countries all over the world.

"In this shrinking global village, dominance in athletics can no longer be confined to only one continent or two," he said.

Kalmadi said he took advantage of the presence of delegates from Africa in Edmonton to apprise them of the progress being made in the preparations for the Afro-Asian Games. The delegates, he said, assured him that they would send their best athletes for the inaugural Games, to be held in Delhi from November 3 to 11.

He said Chinese officials also promised that they would send their best team.