IOA warned of de-recognition
NEW DELHI: International Olympic Committee on Friday served an ultimatum to India, saying that the country will be de-recognised if the Indian Olympic Association does not amend its constitution by December 10 as per the world body’s earlier diktat of barring charge-framed persons from contesting elections.
The IOC rejected suspended IOA’s proposal passed in its October 27 Special General Body Meeting to refer the cases of charge-framed persons to an internal Ethics Commission instead of barring them from contesting elections and asked it to include a clause in its constitution to provisionally suspend them until a final ruling is made.
“This is to follow up on the letter dated 3 November 2013 from Mr Regunathan to IOC president and amendments to the IOA Constitution adopted on 27 October 2013, which we received on 6 November 2013,” the letter, written by IOC director general Christophe De Kepper and addressed to IOA officials, said.
“The specific clause which has been included in Article V (ii)(c); XI(1)(g)(iv); and XXII(v) concerning any IOA member charge-framed by a Court in India with respect to an offence which is of serious nature under Indian Penal Code/Prevention of Corruption Act is not satisfactory and does not meet IOC’s requirements expressed in our letter of 5 September 2013.
“It was indeed requested that this clause mention expressly that such members will not be eligible to run for IOA elections and will be provisionally suspended from the IOA until a final ruling is made,” said the letter, a copy of which was also marked to IOC chief Thomas Bach and Sports Minister Jitendra Singh.
The IOC said its Executive Board will recommend India’s de-recognition — which would mean barring of Indian sportspersons from international events, including Olympics and Asian Games — if the suspended IOA continued to remain adamant on the issue of charge-framed persons being barred from contesting polls.
“… the IOC is not in a position to approve the new IOA Constitution until the Articles mentioned above are amended accordingly. It’s therefore requested that suspended IOA meet again in a General Assembly and adopt these very last amendments as per IOC requirements,” the IOC said.
“If these process is not completed successfully prior to the next IOC Board meeting i.e before 10 December 2013, the IOC Executive Board might consider further action against the suspended IOA, including a proposal to withdraw IOC recognition at the next IOC session.” (PTI)