IOC asks IOA to amend constitution
Special Correspondent - The Hindu
IOA has been told to carry out amendments and report back by mid-August
The suggested changes mainly pertain to the composition of the NOCs
NEW DELHI: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has directed the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to amend its constitution to fall in line with the Olympic Charter.
The IOA has been told to convene its General Assembly meeting and carry out the amendments in order to report back to the IOC by mid-August.
Significantly, there is no mention about restricting the terms of office-bearers of the IOA or an age cap for its officials as required under the Union Government guidelines.
The far-reaching amendments, suggested by the IOC, mainly pertain to the composition of the National Olympic Committee (NOC), with the IOC clearly asking the IOA to amend its constitution in such a way as to include only National Sports Federations (NSFs) as its voting members.
The IOA at present has the State Olympic associations also as its voting members, an obvious structure aimed at ‘vote bank politics' that has been practised and perfected over the years in the apex sports body.
No immediate consensus
The available office-bearers of the NSFs in Delhi, apart from several senior IOA and State-level officials, met on Wednesday to discuss the issue arising out of the IOC diktat, but there was no immediate consensus about convening a General Assembly meeting to take up the matter.
The IOC directive comes just over a month after the IOA met Union Sports Ministry officers in a ‘mediation dialogue' at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, in the presence of IOC officials.
The meeting followed weeks of confrontationist postures adopted by the IOA over what it called was an attempt by the ministry to erode its autonomy and that of the NSFs.
The meeting brought into focus the total inadequacy of the IOA statutes to follow the Olympic Charter.
The IOC stated that the Indian NOC would implement the basic principles of good governance and the Government would be expected to respect the autonomy of the Olympic Movement in India.
“Following this meeting, the NOC has immediately undertaken the revision of its statutes. This process is ongoing and is expected to be finalised very soon,” an IOC spokeswoman had stated earlier this month.
The IOC's proposed amendments would require the IOA to have 34 National federations, two IOC Members (Randhir Singh and Ashwini Kumar, the latter being an honorary member) and two representatives of the Athletes' Commission as its members.
Suggestions
The IOC has suggested that the IOA form an Ethics Commission and an Arbitration Commission, apart from the Athletes' Commission.
The Executive Council of the IOA may comprise the president, vice-president, two secretaries, treasurer, Athletes' Commission representative and the two IOC members apart from four other members.
Currently there are 41 members in the IOA executive including the principal office-bearers.
The IOA does not have any representative from the athletes as demanded by the Olympic Charter, either in the Executive or the General Assembly.
It had been violating this provision of the Charter for over eight decades of its existence (formed and recognised by the IOC in 1927).
The Charter provides for representation of Olympians, active or retired, in the NOC's executive.
The Charter stipulates that the voting majority in an NOC and its executive shall consist of the votes cast by the NSFs. On questions related to Olympic Games, only votes cast by the NSFs and the executive would count.
An NOC may also include as its members multi-sports groups and other sports-oriented organisations or their representatives, as well as nationals of the country liable to reinforce the effectiveness of the NOC or who have rendered distinguished services to the cause of sport and Olympism.
The IOC has reportedly stated that the State associations could be treated as sub-committees but not as members and they should not have voting rights.
An NOC can, at its discretion, also elect representatives of government and public authorities as its members.
The IOC has said that it expected the IOA to amend its constitution, sign it and dispatch it for the IOC's approval. One cannot recall when the IOC went through such an exercise in respect of the IOA's constitution.
3 comments:
Uncle Tony, This is indeed breaking news and if the IOC can make this ruling in India on their member IOA, I am sure this policy applies to all the other bodies in the world.
The problems in India is the same as Malaysia and to a large extend, the issues raised there is similar to Malaysia.
The OCM now have to think twice in keeping out other Sports Bodies recognised by the SC and their respective International Federation.
From this development things are already starting to unfold in Malaysia. Now it depends on OCM what they are going to reject the new application or accept them.
Knowing Dato Sieh's argument , he will say IOC is different from OCM, he will probably add that IOC is international and OCM is Malaysia. You may laugh but this was the argument at the last General Assembly when age bar of 70 was proposed.
Now with these goons in OCM , will they be the "pariah" among the members of the IOC.
Tunku Imran have to now sit up and think carefully the future direction of OCM with the IOC ruling on the IOA.
Mr Constitution,
Why is it so difficult for some sports officials of that level to do the job entrusted to them with honour and integrity and by following Olympic Charter? Don`t you think they are out of their minds to believe they can do as they like without negative consequences? It is like driving against the flow of traffic day after day thinking the traffic police will never notice or take action or no accidents will ever happen...
Dear Anon 6.28 pm following the Olympic Charter? OCM are using the Olympic Charter to say that they are autonomous, have you not heard that over the age issue, OCM has twisted the whole thing by saying that that to add in that clause in the OCM constitution is tantamount to discrimination. This age bar of 70 is in the Olympic Charter.
Dear Anon 6.28 pm it is not the Olympic Charter's fault, it is the perverted, twisted interpretation of the Olympic Charter by OCM Board that is the problem.
Indian IOA apparently also are blocking NSA as their members, in Malaysia, OCM also are Blocking legitimate NSA into their fold. Have you seen 7.7 of the OCM constitution?
You can be an affiliate member of OCM with no voting powers to represent that sport. We know that there are many NSA recognised by the IF are not allowed in OCM on grounds that they already have a member.
Now the IOC will do to OCM what they did to IOA. Latest we heard is the Sports Commissioner will be calling representative of the IOC to have a pow wow and point out all the injustices in OCM all these years.
I do hope in Malaysia they will tell the IOC to tell their member to put an age bar of 70 to follow the Olympic Charter. This time Dato Sieh Kok Chi, will have to be booted out.
Strong words like Axis of Evil are used on the IOA. We in Malaysia will not resort to calling names, but plainly put Dato Sieh Kok Chi is a one man wrecking machine of Malaysian sports. He must get out.
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