IOC sets Dec 9 deadline for IOA

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has given a Dec 9 deadline to the suspended Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to amend its constitution and hold fresh elections, failing which it would be replaced by an adhoc committee.

The IOC in a letter dated Nov 15 has asked the IOA to conduct free and fair elections by Dec 9 failing which the IOC executive board that meets in Lusanne, Dec 10 or 11, will recommend to the IOC Council, set to meet in February, to withdraw the recognition of the IOA and replace it with an adhoc body.

The adhoc body will comprise V.K. Malhotra and Randhir Singh, who are recognised by the IOC as the IOA president and secretary general, respectively, and also have Anil Khanna, Abhinav Bindra, Manisha Malhotra, Ashwini Nachappa and Rahul Mehra as members.

The committee will be formed immediately after the withdrawal of IOA's recognition.

The IOC executive board in September decided that the ban on IOA will continue if it does not change its constitution to keep out charge-sheeted individuals.

The IOA, during its Special General Meeting here last month, refused to incorporate the contentious IOC-proposed clause that would have barred charge-sheeted individuals from holding any post and suggested an alternative that would affect only convicted officials.

Christophe De Kepper, IOC director general, in a letter dated Nov 15, informed Malhotra that IOC is not in a position to approve the new IOA Constitution until some specific changes desired by the IOC are made in the constitution.

The IOC has asked the IOA to amend it constitution by adding a clause that will prevent members, who have charges of serious nature against them, from running for the IOA elections and will be provisionally suspended from the IOA until a final ruling is made.

The IOC asked the IOA to call a General Assembly soon to incorporate the changes in its constitution and adopt them as per IOC's requirements. The notice of the General Assembly has to be sent by Nov 23.

"If this process is not completed successfully prior to the next IOC Executive Board meeting, ie. before 10 December 2013, the IOC Executive Board might consider further action against the suspended IOA, including a proposal to withdraw IOA recognition at its next IOC Session," De Kepper wrote in his letter.

The IOC suspended the IOA Dec 5 last year due to government interference in its functioning and the involvement of corrupt officials in the election process. Since then, the country's athletes have been barred from competing in international meets under the Indian flag.