London: Former IPL Chairman Lalit Modi has stressed at a London conference that he was not hiding, but would not consider returning to India to answer corruption charges.
According to the BBC, during a rare public appearance at the International Sports Event Management Conference in London to discuss the future of Indian sport, Modi, who was accompanied by bodyguards, indicated that currently he has no intention of attending a hearing in India, and the authorities in New Delhi have shown no willingness to travel to London to speak to him, despite his apparent readiness to pay for them to do so.
Talking about the future of the Indian premier League, Modi stated that by 2016 the IPL would be the world's most watched sporting league. He also said he would love to be part of an Indian Olympic bid and the Games will come to India in his lifetime.
Privately, Modi remains determined to stay involved in cricket and predicts that the United States is the market cricket 'must get into', the report said.
In September this year, the 46-year-old was suspended from all involvement in Indian cricket, and was replaced as IPL chief by Chirayu Amin. He was also stripped of his position as vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and also lost his job as chairman of the Champions League Twenty20, a club tournament organised jointly by India, Australia and South Africa.
Modi also faces accusations of tax evasion and money laundering but denies all allegations of wrongdoing.