Ministry of Sports Grants Illegal Recognition to ineligible India Taekwondo Despite Fraudulent Leadership and Sports Code Violations

4th June’25

In a serious breach of national sports governance and due process, on 08.05.2025 the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) has illegally granted recognition to India Taekwondo, an organization led by an individual with no legitimate background in the sport, in violation of the National Sports Development Code of India, 2011, Olympic Charter as well as decision of the Hon’ble Justice Mr. L. Nageswara Rao, (Retd.) Judge of Supreme Court which has held India Taekwondo to be ineligible to be recognized by the IOA. The MYAS has informed our Taekwondo Federation of India (TFI) on 15.05.2025 about this illegal recognition. Copies of letters of MYAS are enclosed. The Copies of letters of MYAS and order dated 03.11.2022 by Hon’ble Mr. Justice (Retd.) L. Nageswara Rao are enclosed.

TFI represents the real mass of Taekwondo

Our TFI represents the original TFI working since 1979 under affiliation with IOA and World Taekwondo till the formation of Adhoc Committee for our TFI on 15.07.2019 by the IOA under Mr. Namdev Shirgaonkar as Chairman to register a new society for our TFI, because our TFI had litigation about the claim over the registration certificate of TFI. The copy of letter dated 15.07.2019 of IOA is enclosed herewith.

Namdev Shirgaonkar self declared President of IT debarred by Ethics Commission of IOA

Mr. Namdev Shirgaonkar who is at the helm of India Taekwondo has:

· Never practiced taekwondo for even a single day as per the records of TFI

· Falsely claimed to have trained in taekwondo during university

· Deceived Kukkiwon (the global taekwondo certification body) into issuing a Dan 2 black belt

· Never connected with Taekwondo through any Association from District to National level

· Misled World Taekwondo and the Indian sporting community with fraudulent claims of experience and credentials

Mr. Namdev Shirgaonkar, the then Joint Secretary of IOA representing Modern Pentathelon sport was assigned one duty to register a society and select the State Associations in consultation with State Olympic Association (SOA), but nothing has been complied to hijack our TFI/ sport. Resultantly all the old and real state holder State Associations duly affiliated to respective SOA and State Govt has been left and he created new State Associations.

Presently all the old and real stake holder State Associations duly affiliated to SOA and State Govt. aggrieved with this illegal recognition. In this context the Ethics Commission of IOA passed its decision on dated 08.02.2022 is enclosed herewith. (Please read the decisions Para from 44 to 47).

While the IOA has already clarified through several letters that no Federation for Taekwondo including India Taekwondo is affiliated to IOA.

Registration of IT is in dispute

The registration of India Taekwondo is still pending before the Asstt. Charity Commissioner at Mumbai which is evident from the order 7th April’2025 of Hon’ble High Court of Judicature at Bombay in W.P. No. 9476/2024. Copy of order is enclosed herewith.

Adding to the gravity of the situation, Mr. Namdev Shirgaonkar who was awarded recognition through India Taekwondo has a pending recommendation for suspension from the IOA’s Ethics Committee for serious ethical violations, raising deep concerns about the legitimacy, transparency, and legality of the Ministry’s decision.

Gross Violations of Sports Code’2011

According to the National Sports Code, no National Sports Federation (NSF) can be recognized without submitting:

· Valid constitution aligned with the Sports Code

· Properly and democratically conducted elections duly verified by an independent observer of MYAS and IOA (present office bearers of India Taekwondo are self declared and was selected secretly without informing anyone including its own fake members regarding election)

· Audited financial statements

· Disclosure of office-bearers with tenure limits

India Taekwondo most likely has failed to meet any of these criteria, making the Ministry’s decision not only irregular but legally untenable.

“This is not just a case of administrative negligence—it is a deliberate whitewash that insults the sport, misleads international federations, and damages the trust of thousands of athletes who deserve honest leadership,” said Mr. Kumar, a senior taekwondo official and Practitioner of over 40 years.

According to Paragraph 3.20 of the National Sports Code, recognition can only be granted to a National Sports Federation (NSF) that has demonstrated full compliance with constitutional, financial, and electoral norms. In this case, none of those conditions were reportedly met, and yet recognition was fast-tracked in what appears to be a politically motivated and ethically compromised decision.

Stakeholders are now demanding from MYAS

Immediate withdrawal of recognition granted to India Taekwondo or give a certificate of compliance of Sports Code by the India Taekwondo.
Public release of documents submitted to the Ministry
Enforcement of the IOA Ethics Committee’s recommendations
Restoration of due process and athlete-first governance in Indian sport

This episode highlights a dangerous precedent—wherein individuals flagged for misconduct can secure national legitimacy through non-transparent government decisions, undermining trust in India’s sports institutions and exposing athletes to further mismanagement.

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