New Delhi, May 4
The row between the government and sports federation chiefs intensified today with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) today clarifying that the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and the National Sports Federations (NSFs) should not be subjected to any interference and external pressure when it comes to their functioning.
The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) also took a similar stand and warned that any attempt to erode NOCs autonomy might invite international sanctions against India.
Notably, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports issued an order on Sunday (May 2) limiting the tenures of offices-bearers of the IOA and the NSFs to 12 years, with a maximu age limit of
70 years.
“The NOCs’ internal operations, decision-making mechanisms, holding of meetings and election arrangements come under the exclusive responsibility and competence of the NOC, in accordance with the NOC statutes and the Olympic Charter, and must not be subject to any external pressure or interference. The same principles also apply for the National Sports Federations,” said Pere Miro, IOC NOC Relations Director, in his two-page letter to Indian Olympic Association (IOA) secretary-general Randhir Singh.
OCA president Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al Sabah, in his letter, said he was “extremely concerned” about the directives issued by the Sports Ministry “which are clearly in violation of
the Olympic Charter and the OCA constitution and rules and regulations of the International Sports Federations”. Any violation of the rules of the OCA constitution and Olympic Charter could result in suspension/withdrawal of recognition by the OCA,” he added.The IOC and OCA communications have boosted the morale of the sports administrators who had been caught on the back foot following the Sports Ministry’s order.
Armed with letters of support, Randhir Singh while talking to mediapersons said: “The issue of limiting tenure and fixing age limit of office-bearers of the NOCs shall not be decided or imposed by any government or external pressure but should be decided by the NOCs themselves. These should be the prerogative of the NOCs and decided by their executive committees or general assemblies.”
The IOC communication has made it clear that there was no cap on the tenure of office-bearers, he said. ”The Olympic Charter does not impose any limitation to the members of an NOC with respect to (i) the number of terms the NOC office-bearers may exercise or (ii) a potenial age limit, which, if any should be decided by each NOC and establish in the NOC statutes as the case may be,” added Randhir.
He said the Olympic committees across the world functioned on the basis of rules laid down by the IOC, and if the Indian Government tries to violate these, it will face IOC sanctions, as in the case of Kuwait. Randhir clarified that the IOA or the sports federations,per se, were not against limiting the tenures of office-bearers. “But such issues have to be passed by the general bodies of the IOA and the sportsfederations concerned, and not by the Government”. He said if the government insisted on infringing upon the autonomy of the IOA and the Sports Federations, it will invite international ban which can put the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in jeopardy.
The Olympic committees across the world
functioned on the basis of rules laid down by the IOC, and if the Indian Government tries to
violate these, it will face international sanctions, as in the case of
Kuwait.
