IOC monitoring Dec 10 IOA elections; decision on suspension deferred

New Delhi: The executive board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Tuesday said it will wait until the very last step of the process (i.e. the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) elections, to take place on 10 December) is duly completed, and entrusts the IOC administration with the task of confirming the IOC’s position after the IOA elections, and subsequently confirming whether the 2023 IOC Session will take place in Mumbai.

IOC’s executive board said it received a report on the situation of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of India, following the decision taken by the EB on September 8, 2022, to issue a final warning to the NOC. 

“The EB took note of the significant progress made over the past few weeks to implement the agreed roadmap, including the adoption of the revised IOA Constitution aimed at improving its internal governance – in close coordination with the former judge appointed by the Supreme Court of India to monitor the whole process – and in line with the IOC EB directives and decision taken in September,” IOC said in a statement.

In its final warning, IOC asked the NOC of India to address and resolve its governance issues to the IOC’s satisfaction, in the interests of the sport and the athletes. 

What if IOC suspends India?

IOC clarified that any suspension of NOC means that the athletes of the country are no longer able to represent their country and compete under the country’s flag/name at the Olympic Games and other international sports events, as the case may be. 

Additionally, the NOC is no longer entitled to operate as an NOC according to its role as defined in the Olympic Charter. In addition, it will no longer receive any funding from the Olympic Movement until the suspension is lifted.