India's return to Olympics hangs in balance

The IOA, in a special General Body Meeting in New Delhi, proposed to refer the cases of those persons against whom charges have been framed for offences that carry punishment of a jail term of more than two years to a nine-member Ethics Commission. IOC had given India a deadline of October 31 to amend their constitution and December 15 to hold fresh elections.

"Where the charges have been framed by any court in India, in respect of an offence which is of serious nature under the Indian Penal Code/Prevention of Corruption Act, in which the punishment of imprisonment of more than 2 years is prescribed, then the member/office bearer/member of the Executive Council of the IOA, the case will then be referred to the IOA Ethics Commission for further guidance," the amendment made by the special GBM said.

"Any member of IOA whose conduct/behaviour compromised with IOC Ethics and the Olympic Charter shall be referred to the IOA Ethics Commission for further guidance."

There would, however, be no bar to contest elections on persons against whom charges have been framed for offences, which carry a jail term of less than than two years.

"There will be no bar on persons in such cases. Under People's Representation Act, such persons cannot be barred from contesting elections," a top IOA official said.

However, any IOA member convicted for a serious offence will be removed and will not be allowed to contest elections till three years after the completion of the sentence.

"On conviction of an offence which is of serious nature under Indian Penal Code/Prevention of Corruption Act, the Executive Council Members/Office Bearers and all members of IOA shall resign immediately and if not they will be excluded and will not be allowed to contest in elections of the Executive Council/Office Bearers of IOA till three years after completion of sentence and the case will be referred to the IOA Ethics Commission," the IOA said.

The IOA said "where a case is referred to the Ethics Commission for further guidance, on completion of conviction with a three year cooling off period after conviction, then the Ethics Commission will take a considered view on the status of the person and his/her rights within IOA".

The Ethics Commission will have four retired judges of High Court in Justices Bhagwati Prasad, B K Nehru, Usha Mehra, R S Sodhi. The other five members are former athlete Gurbachan Singh Randhawa, retired Army officer B S Suhag, reired bureaucrats Balraj Singh and D Sarangi and Athletics Federation of India senior vice-president W I Davaram.

The IOA, however, rejected the IOC's directive to apply the age limit clause (of 70-year cap) to all officials or Executive Council members and instead proposed to restrict it to the president, secretary general and treasurer.

"India is the largest democracy with over 1.20 billion. We need representation from all across and all sections of people ... Hence, the age limit as per IOC Charter will apply only on three office bearers namely the president, secretary general and treasurer and not on any other officer/Executive Council Members of IOA and the House regretfully reject the suggestion given by IOC," a resolution passed by the GBM said.

Regarding the tenure limit, an IOA official said that the matter was not discussed in the GBM as the IOC "has already agreed to IOA's proposal to restrict its application to president, secretary general and treasurer only".

The special GBM also decided to send an IOA delegation to the IOC headquarters in Lausanne in Switzerland, which will include IOC member in India, Randhir Singh as one of the members. Randhir, who addressed a press conference after the meeting along with other officials, accepted to be part of an IOA delegation to take up the matter with the IOC.

"The House unanimously agreed to all the amendments. The IOC member in India also supported all the amendments and he has also agreed to be part of an IOA delegation to take up the matter with the IOC," said senior IOA official S Reghunathan who chaired the meeting attended by around 150 members.

"There seemed to have been some misunderstanding between the IOC member in India and some IOA members that he was not taking care of IOA vis-a-vis the IOC. But the misunderstanding has been sorted out," Reghunathan said.

"Randhir and (IOA president) Abhay Singh Chautala have agreed to work together to resolve the issue of India's suspension from the Olympic movement," he said, with Chautala also by his side.

Reghunathan and other senior IOA officials R K Anand, Narinder Batra and Tarlochan Singh had formed the earlier IOA delegation which met the IOC officials in Lausanne. Later, Batra withdrew himself from the delegation.

Randhir said the IOA was united and all the members would work to lift the ban on India as soon as possible.

"We had a stormy and not so stormy meeting today and the IOA is united. It's not about factions in IOA but it's about working for the good of Indian sports and Indian athletes. All the members are on the same platform and it's a good beginning," Randhir said.

"We want the ban to be lifted so that sportspersons can take part (in) international events under Indian flag. We will work as one family for the betterment of Indian sports and sportspersons. We will go back to the IOC with these amendments, discuss it and see what can be done," he added.

Randhir assured that the IOC wanted the matter of India's suspension to be resolved as soon a possible.

"Let me assure you that the IOC is very keen for India to return to the Olympic fold as soon as possible. Winter Olympics is coming up in February next year and we should hope that the ban is lifted by then so that our sportspersons can compete under the National Flag," he said.

Randhir said there was no change of heart on his part by joining hands with the likes of Chautala as he was always with the Olympic Movement.

"My heart was always with Olympic Movement. Individuals do not matter. It was also not about groups (in the IOA), it was about the good of Indian sports and sportspersons. That is paramount," he said.

The IOA, in its earlier Special GBM on August 25, had also tried to dilute IOC's directive to bar charge-sheeted persons from contesting elections by proposing that only those who have been convicted and sentenced for a jail term of two or more years be barred from contesting the polls.

The faction led by Chautala had remained adamant to their stand that charge-sheeted persons are permitted to contest even Parliamentary elections and the IOC cannot impose a rule which is against Indian law.

Rejecting the IOA's proposal, the IOC had said that persons who are charge-framed would be barred from contesting the elections. This would bar Chautala and Lalit Bhanot from contesting elections.

The world body had asked the IOA to amend constitution by October 31 to ensure that charge-framed persons are barred from contesting elections and hold elections before the end of this year.

Chautala and Bhanot were elected unopposed as president and secretary general of the IOA on December 5 last year, a day after the national Olympic body was banned by the IOC which had also declared the polls "null and void".