They will be forced to participate under the Olympic flag if India continues not to conform to IOC guidelines.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA), which has become the playground of self-serving officials and their political patrons, has been suspended by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), bringing disgrace on India.
Power-hungry IOA officials paid little heed to the repeated warnings from the IOC to conduct the polls, scheduled for Wednesday, under the IOA constitution and Olympic Charter. Athletes will now have to take the fall for the blundering officials.
If provisions are made, they can only participate under the Olympic flag. India's lone individual Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra was sarcastic in his reaction to the development. "Bye Bye IOA, hope to see again soon, hopefully cleaner!" said the ace shooter. He was echoing the sentiments of many others that this may be the opportunity to clean the Augean stables.
Escaping blame
IOA officials Tarlochan Singh, R.K. Anand and Abhay Singh Chautala
"It is a very unfortunate decision for the sporting community. I still don't know the details. Once we learnt about the mess, we wrote to the IOC but they never responded," said the minister.
All this time, the IOA has been critical of the government's sports code but agreed to follow it during its election process as mandated by the Delhi High Court. The decision drew the IOC's wrath, and now the knives are out.
Rival factions in the IOA have started taking sides. Acting IOA president Vijay Kumar Malhotra trained his guns on the sports ministry for pressuring the IOA to adopt the sports code.
Silver medal winner Sushil Kumar in action. The
IOC decision comes at a time when India bagged an impressive six Olympic
medals and Indian sports had just started looking up
"We want the government, the IOC and the IOA to sit together and resolve the issue so that the suspension is lifted. We had no option but to hold the elections under the sports code because of the high court order."
IOA secretary general Randhir Singh, who had planned to stand against Abhay Singh Chautala for the post of president but withdrew his nomination later, said the suspension had come as an opportunity to clean the mess in the Indian sports administration.
"The mess happening today in the Olympic committee needs to be cleaned up. I think what we are heading for now is that it gives an opportunity to clean the mess," said Singh, adding: "Let me tell you IOC is not anti-India, it is against the system. The focus should be on sportspersons. Let's focus on India. The sportsperson is more important than anybody and to the Olympic movement than to any office bearer."
Bhanot effect
The ethics commission of the IOC had made it
clear that Lalit Bhanot (pictured) should not be involved in the
functioning of the IOA
The ethics commission of the IOC had made it clear that Suresh Kalmadi, Bhanot and V.K. Verma, should not be involved in the functioning of the IOA because their names had figured in the Commonwealth Games scam.
While Kalmadi and Verma stepped aside, Bhanot came into the forefront and ran for the secretary general's post with overwhelming support – mainly from the political elements in the IOA.
There were further tussles in store. When Randhir Singh announced his intention to contest for IOA president, the other faction within the Indian Olympic body brought Chautala into the picture. The constitution of the Indian Boxing Federation was amended and Chautala, who has strong political clout, was back in the fold. This also made him eligible to contest for the IOA top job.
His election as chairman of the boxing federation was also under the government's scanner. Enter R.K. Anand, chairman of the IOA ethics commission - ironically, he had been barred from legal practice by the Supreme Court over malpractices. He was a staunch supporter of Randhir Singh but flipped sides at the last juncture.
In 2010, sports ministry officials and IOA office-bearers were called for a meeting with the IOC in Lausanne and Anand was part of the IOA delegation. However, all his legal expertise failed resolve the issue even two years after that crucial meeting.
IOC president Jacques Rogge had asked the IOA last month to make its stand clear on the sports code for the IOA election. But the IOA was adamant that it was not flouting any guideline laid down in the Olympic Charter. However, it failed to convince the world body.
The IOA has always projected the current situation as a battle between the sports ministry and the Olympic Charter. However, Rogge, in his last communication, made it clear that the IOC was not against the sports code. All it wanted was that the IOA either incorporate the code into its constitution or reject it completely.
Chautala, the IOA president elect since other candidates have withdrawn, put the blame on Randhir Singh for the mess.
"It's a onesided decision and a wrong one. We'll take up the issue with the IOC and convince them that we haven't gone against the Olympic Charter. Randhir Singh is responsible for the mess," he said.
Officials not players will suffer most
By Moraad Ali Khan, as told to Shreyas Sharma
I wouldn't hesitate to call this the
most embarrassing moment in India's sporting history. However, it is the
best decision that could have been taken in the circumstances. Over the past two years, a lot of mess was being created across all disciplines, which was something everyone who had the interests of Indian sports in heart was feeling bad about. I have personally experienced sports lovers walking up to me and asking questions about our administrators.
There were numerous warnings by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to adhere to certain codes and guidelines which govern sports. But the administrators thought there was no rule they had to adhere to – they thought they were a law unto themselves. They are squarely responsible for the present state of affairs.
The attempt now will be to blame the government, and I'm already seeing the administrators taking that path on television. There will also be an attempt to create a public perception that it is the sportspersons who will suffer the most. But that is false - the ones to suffer the most will only be administrators.
Sportspersons' training is financed through the Sports Authority of India and the sports ministry, who also pay the salaries for all their coaching and training needs. They will be able to take part in all the international competitions, but under the IOC or Olympic Council of Asia flag.
But for any patriotic sportsperson, any achievement in an international competition is made sweeter by the hoisting of the Tricolour in a foreign land, and the playing of the national anthem. The saddest part is that our own national Olympic committee has taken away that honour from our athletes.
We have seen administrators who occupy these chairs of power rarely leave them. Across all sports, states and state Olympic committees, it is the same story over and over again. We pray and hope that this is an eye-opener, and that with the help of some positive interference from the government, the Indian sports administration can be cleaned up.
What needs to be done to sort out this mess is simply this - the IOA, along with the IOC, has to meet the government and take mutually agreed guidelines from the sports code and include them in its constitution.
This is the way things are done in many countries which possess sports laws, and they have hardly had a problem with the IOC.
However, till the IOA is recognised by the government, there needs to be an ad-hoc body in place that can take this process forward and get back recognition for itself.
(The writer is a former Commonwealth Games gold medallist in shooting and an Arjuna awardee)