Suresh Kalmadi (© Getty Images)
World Athletics is saddened to hear that Suresh Kalmadi died on Tuesday (6) at the age of 81 in Pune, India, after a long period of illness.
Kalmadi was a long-serving athletics administrator who held senior leadership roles at national, continental and international level.
Born in Madras and later based in Pune, Kalmadi began his professional life in the Indian Air Force before embarking on a career in public life. He became deeply involved in sport governance over several decades, serving as President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) from 1996 until 2011, and as President of the Asian Athletics Association from 2000 to 2013. He was a World Athletics Council Member from 2001-2013.
During his tenure in athletics leadership, he was instrumental in introducing major competitions such as the Asian Indoor Championships, the Asian Grand Prix Series and the Asian All Star Meet, which created valuable opportunities for Asian athletes and helped raise the standard of athletics across the continent.
World Athletics