New Delhi: In a major embarrassment for India, the International Olympic Committee suspended the Indian Olympic Association on Tuesday because of government interference in its election process, a development which puts a bar on the country’s Olympic participation.
The decision to disaffiliate India was taken on the first day of the IOC’s Executive Board meeting, an international news agency reported from Lausanne, Switzerland, quoting two top officials who pleaded anonymity.
The decision was largely expected after the IOA decided to go ahead with the elections tomorrow under the government’s Sports Code, defying the IOC’s diktat to hold the polls under the Olympic Charter.
“We had offered the IOA and IOC to sit and talk on these issues,” Jitendra Singh, the country’s sports minister, told reporters.
“We’ve already written to the IOC but didn’t get a reply. It’s very unfortunate, more so for the sportspersons. That’s all I’m concerned about.”
The ban means an effective end to funding from the IOC to the national Olympic committee (IOA), no Indian officials attending Olympic meetings and Indian athletes banned from competing at the Olympics under the country’s flag.
Lalit Bhanot, who spent 11 months in custody last year following corruption charges that plagued the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi and who is out on bail, was confirmed for the post last week after the rival faction pulled out ahead of tomorrow’s election.
The IOC has been angered by government interference in the elections and had warned the IOA in a letter of a possible suspension.
“This is wrong and completely unilateral,” Abhay Singh Chautala, who is expected to be elected as IOA President on Friday, told reporters.
“We’d go to the IOC again and explain them of the actual situation and the details of the election. This ban was completely thrust on us.
“It’s a unilateral decision. The IOA acting president had written to the IOC but they didn’t reply. I had also written a letter saying we are sending two members to explain the situation and requested for appointment. Again there was no answer to that.”
The IOA has been directed by a Delhi court to hold the elections adhering to the government’s sports code, while the IOC wants the governing body to abide by the Olympic charter.
The IOC blamed non-cooperation by the Indian government and the IOA for the current situation.
Acting IOA President VK Malhotra said his organisation was caught in the middle.
“We had gone to the prime minister and asked him not to pass that controversial bill. The bill was not passed but the code was imposed. That’s how the problem started,” he said.
“Now the IOC is complaining of government interference, while court and government want us to go by the code. We were caught in the crossfire. We will try and find some reconciliation so that our athletes don’t suffer.”
India earned the dubious distinction of being among a handful of countries which have faced suspension from the world sports governing body.
South Africa had been suspended for its apartheid policy while Kuwait faced the same fate for government interference before it was re-admitted after the Gulf country’s Olympic body amended its constitution.
The Netherlands Antilles and South Sudan were also banned for not forming their national Olympic Committees.
The development sparked off outrage among India’s top athletes who expressed anguish at the IOC decision. Some of the former athletes like sprinter Ashwini Nachappa and shooter Moraad Ali Khan who blamed the squabbling within the IOA for the fiasco.
Other top sportspersons such as Abhinav Bindra, Mary Kom, Vijender Singh, Gagan Narang and Mahesh Bhupathi were among those who expressed shock at the development.
“I am absolutely shocked by this news,” Kom said. “I don’t know how the matter was handled by the higher authorities. But it is the athletes who will suffer if the situation is not resolved quickly.”
Hockey Olympian Gurbux Singh termed episode as a “sad day for Indian sports”.
“It was coming, we were heading for it for quite sometime. The worst could have been avoided by holding free and fair elections,” he said.
The elections to the IOA have been marred by controversy over the issue of under which framework they would be held and this had led to the resignation of IOA-appointed Election Commission Chairman SY Quraishi and later presidential candidate Randhir Singh withdrawing from the race.
Taking into account Delhi High Court’s order, the Quraishi-led Commission had ruled that the IOA polls would be held under the government’s Sports Code, which in turn, invited IOC’s directive to the IOA to “exclusively” apply the Olympic Charter and the IOA Constitution.
Quraishi, a former Chief Election Commissioner of India, then stepped down, citing the backtracking by the IOA to apply the Sports Code. Justice (retd) Anil Dev Singh was appointed by the IOA in his place.
Quraishi’s resignation led to the postponement of the elections from November 25 to December 5, but the IOC was not happy with the confusion surrounding the code under which the polls would be held.
Randhir Singh, who is an IOC member and Secretary General of both the OCA and the IOA, withdrew his nomination for the post of president, saying that since the world body said the polls would not be recognised if they are held under the Sports Code, he cannot go against the institution he belongs to.
IOA’s position has been that it has been opposing the Sports Code from the beginning but will have to abide by the Delhi High Court order to hold the elections under the Sports Code. (Agencies)