Want IOA to be like US Olympic Association: IOA chief

New Delhi, July 18: Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president N. Ramachandran on Monday said he wants the association to emulate its counterpart in the US.

Ramachandran said he wants the IOA to be self-dependent on the lines of the US Olympic Association.

"In the next few years, I want to see the IOA to fuction like the US Olympic Association. In the US, the association doesn't depend on the government for funding," Ramachandran said in his address at a function to send-off the Indian contingent for the upcoming Rio Olympics.

"I don't know if it happens during my tenure or not but I want the IOA to generate its own source of funds without depending on the government. At present the total brand value of IOA is Rs 500 crore," he added.

Wishing the athletes luck, Ranachandran said its not always about winning medals.

"Its not just winning medals, the very fact that you qualify to such a world event is in itself a huge fact," he remarked.

This is the largest Indian contingent till date, comprising 67 male and 54 women, taking the total number of participants to 121.

Besides Ramachandran, the event was attended by IOA Secretary General Rajeev Mehta, Sports Secretary Rajeev Yadav, IOA treasurer Anil Khanna, SAI DG Injeti Srinivas, Chef de Mission Rakesh Gupta and deputy chef de mission Anandeshwar Pandey, among others.