Odisha Gymnastics Association apologises after row over Samir Dey’s name in letterhead

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Gymnastics Association (OGA) secretary Ashok Kumar Sahoo has apologised for the continued use of late president Samir Dey’s name on the association’s official letterhead, describing it as an ‘unintentional mistake’.

The apology came following news reports that invoices related to the National Gymnastics Championships were issued on a letterhead bearing the name of Dey, who passed away in November 2024. “I, Ashok Kumar Sahoo, Honorary Secretary, Odisha Gymnastics Association, took notice of the story published in different media channels about the mention of our late President Shri Samir Dey on our letterhead. It was an oversight error and an unintentional mistake,” Sahoo said in a statement.

“We run our association transparently. However, I apologise for the oversight error and we will rectify it as soon as possible,” he added.

The National Gymnastics Championships concluded here earlier this month. Notably, a complaint submitted to the Commissioner-cum-secretary of Odisha’s Sports and Youth Services department has questioned how the OGA managed to secure nearly Rs 98 lakh from the state government for the 2026 National Gymnastics Championships even as invoices of more than Rs 1.96-crore and official documents continued to carry the name of the late Dey as president.

Sahoo had said that vice-president Dhiren Panda was currently functioning as the in-charge of the association, but fresh letterheads had not been printed, resulting in the continued use of old stationery bearing Dey’s name.

The secretary had also said that the present committee, which has been in place for nearly two decades, would be dissolved by August and fresh elections would be conducted in compliance with the National Sports Code.