By IANS,
New Delhi : Taking up cudgels on behalf of its Indian affiliate, the International Olympic Commitee (IOC) has again held out a veiled threat to the union sports ministry that the country’s apex sports body would face “sanctions” if the government did not stop meddling in the affairs of the sports bodies by fixing the tenure and age limit of their office-bearers.
The IOC had intervened in the ongoing battle between the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the ministry over restitution of the 1975 government guidelines that limited the tenure of office-bearers of the IOA and its affiliated National Sports Federations (NSFs).
Coming on the heels of the Delhi High Court judgment Friday reinstating the derecognized Indian hockey Federation (IHF) wherein the court censured the ministry for going along with the IOA, the IOC stand will embolden the NSFs to reject the guidelines and resist any attempt by the government to encroach on their autonomy.
In a strongly-worded joint letter to Sports Minister M.S. Gill, a copy of which is marked to IOA president Suresh Kalmadi, the IOC and Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) said Friday that they have taken note of the “unanimous position” taken by the IOA and NSFs on the guidelines.
“We have taken note of the unanimous position taken recently by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the National Sports Federations in India against the directives issued by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) on May 1, 2010,” wrote National Olympic Commitee Relations Director Pere Miro and OCA Director General and Technical Director Husain Al-Musallam.
They said if the government continues to impose the directives, then they will be forced to report the matter to the next IOC executive board meeting.
“In view of this, we would like to remind you, once more, that in the event where the directives issued by the MYAS would be imposed on the Olympic Movement in India (even for future elections), we would be forced to report this case to the next IOC executive board meeting (in June) according to the rules of the Olympic Charter, in particular Rule 28.9 which states:
“Apart from the measures and sanctions provided in the case of infringement of the Olympic Charter, the IOC executive board may take any appropriate decisions for the protection of the Olympic Movement in the country of an NOC, including suspension of or withdrawal of recognition from such NOC if the constitution, law or other regulations in force in the country concerned, or any act by any governmental or other body causes the activity of the NOC or the making or expression of its will to be hampered.”
The IOC, in a letter to sports ministry on May 12, had communicated that the government cannot impose the guidelines on the sports bodies and if at all they have to be enforced, they should come from the federations themselves.
“As you are well aware, the IOC/OCA joint position in this matter has been already expressed in previous letters. This stance in based on the Olympic Charter which all national sports organisations which choose and decide freely to belong to the Olympic Movement must respect and be in a position to respect.
“We count on your understanding and cooperation in order to resolve this issue amicably and to ensure that the autonomy of the Olympic Movement in India is fully respected in accordance with the Olympic Charter.”
At the first hint of IOC siding with the IOA, the sports ministry, in a lengthy treatise to the international body, stated that its support to its Indian affiliate was tantamount to violating its own rule of tenure and age limit of its office-bearers and members. The ministry offered to depute one of its senior officials to the IOC Headquarters to explain its stand. But the latest stand of the IOC and OCA will surely complicate matters.