IOA versus CIO: The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) may have an ‘appointed CEO’ instead of an elected general secretary after the December elections, as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has proposed sweeping changes to the national body’s constitution Sport Supreme at a joint meeting. meeting in Switzerland last month. Representatives of the IOC, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), the IOA and the Ministry of Sports met in Lausanne on September 27, following a “final warning” from the international umbrella body of the sport to ban the national Olympic body if the elections are not announced before. the next meeting of the IOC Executive Board (5-7 December). Follow the IOA vs IOC live updates with InsideSport.IN

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IOA vs. IOC: International Olympic Committee proposes “appointed CEO” instead of IOA Secretary General-elect

Following the meeting, which was also attended by India’s first Olympic gold medalist shooter Abhinav Bindra, the IOC issued a summary which proposed, among other things, to change the post of elected Secretary General to an appointed CEO hired by the Executive Committee. .

“The IOC/OCA will also propose additional elements (such as transforming the position of elected Secretary General into an appointed position, so that the Secretary General serves as CEO appointed/hired by the Executive Committee, and including an independent Ethics Commission , a properly functioning Athletes’ Commission in accordance with IOC guidelines and safeguarding practices),” the IOC said in the summary which is in the possession of PTI.

The suggestions, if implemented, will be far-reaching in the context of Indian sports, as they could spark similar moves in other national sports federations. So far, only a few DSFs such as the Football Association of India have a salaried general secretary appointed by the executive committee.

The IOA elections were due to take place in December last year but could not take place due to a pending case in the Delhi High Court where a petition was filed seeking an amendment to its constitution before elections are held to bring it into line with the National Sport Code.

The IOC “in principle” accepted most of the points raised by the Delhi High Court in its August ruling, saying they were consistent with the Olympic Charter and basic principles of good governance, except two major points.

The IOC has reservations about the proposed 25% sports membership in the IOA General Assembly with voting rights. The IOC’s stance to accept the Delhi High Court’s decision and the Supreme Court’s September 22 order to appoint a former judge to work on amendments to the AIO Constitution and oversee the elections will thus give the hope that the contentious issue can be resolved by announcing the AIO. elections before the December meeting of the IOC Executive Board.

“The AIO Constitution will be amended to include the necessary governance reforms. To this end, the IOC/OCA will work with the Justice appointed by the Supreme Court of India on the draft revised Constitution,” the IOC said.

“In principle, most of the points raised by the Delhi High Court in its decision of 16 August 2022 are acceptable to the IOC/OCA and consistent with the Olympic Charter and the fundamental principles of good governance of the Olympic Movement, with the exception the 2/3 majority required for re-election (a simple majority, ie more than 50% of the valid votes cast, should suffice, as in any electoral process).

IOA vs. IOC: International Olympic Committee proposes “appointed CEO” instead of IOA Secretary General-elect

“…and the appointment of 25% of athletes as voting members in the IOA General Assembly and Executive Committee (which should be refined and whose mechanism should be re-discussed to make it workable and consistent basic membership requirements for any NOC, in accordance with the Olympic Charter and customary standards within the Olympic Movement).

An official, who attended the joint meeting in Lausanne, said Indian delegates accepted the IOC’s proposal. He also said that National Olympic Associations could also lose their right to vote in the IOA General Assembly. The IOC said that once the draft constitution is finalized by the retired judge in agreement with the IOC/OCA, it will be officially adopted by the IOA General Assembly.

“The IOA elections will be held in accordance with the newly approved IOA Constitution and Olympic Charter, under the supervision of the former Supreme Court and IOC/OCA appointed judge.

The whole process (including the elections) should be completed before the IOC EC meeting in December 2022.” Meanwhile, Justice (Retired) L Nageswara Rao, who was instructed by the Supreme Court to change the constitution of the IOA, convened a meeting with the country’s main sporting bodies on 14 October.

Rao, in a notice published last week, asked Barrister Rahul Mehra, the original Delhi High Court petitioner, officials from the IOA, Ministry of Sports, Sports Authority of India, NIS Patiala, Indian Athletics Federation, Indian Badminton Association, National Rifle Association of India, Hockey India, All India Tennis Federation, All India Football Federation, All India Chess Federation, Indian Weightlifting Federation and Indian Amateur Boxing Federation to attend a meeting to discuss further developments.

Rao also invited “advisory sportsmen” appointed by the Delhi High Court to the meeting – Bindra, legendary long jumper Anju Bobby George and Olympian archer Laishram Bombayla Devi, as well as National Sports Federations and Olympic Associations from interested for a meeting at Jawaharlal Nehru. Stadium complex in New Delhi.

IOA vs. IOC: International Olympic Committee proposes “appointed CEO” instead of IOA Secretary General-elect

The Delhi High Court had on August 16 ordered the establishment of a three-member Committee of Administrators (CoA) to manage the affairs of the IOA. The high court said the IOA’s ‘continuing reluctance’ to comply with the Sporting Code made it imperative that its cases be assigned to the CoA, which is made up of former Supreme Court Justice Anil R Dave, of former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi, and former Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs Vikas Swarup.

But, on August 18, the Supreme Court had ordered the standstill after the IOA filed a special leave application with the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court’s decision. Rao said he was convening the meeting as directed by the Supreme Court “to prepare a road map for the amendment of the IOA Constitution and for the conduct of the IOA elections so that the entire process is completed at best by December 15, 2022”.

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