Last ditch effort by the India Olympic Association to avoid disaffiliation

With the suspension cloud looming, Indian Olympic Association (IOA), in a last attempt has decided to rush has decided to rush two of its officials to Switzerland to plead their case before the International Olympic Committee top brass at their executive board meeting at Luassane on December 4 and 5.

Narinder Batra and RK Anand are the two officials who have been entrusted with the task of convincing the world body against disaffiliating the IOA for conducting its elections under the government's Sports Code. The IOC had earlier warned against government interference in the elections, and had demanded it to be conducted as per the Olympic Charter, wrote the Times of India.

Batra, who is also the secretary general of Hockey India, said they were waiting for a confirmation from the IOC. "We have already booked the tickets and will board the flight as soon as we get a confirmation from the IOC's side. We have prepared everything to present our case before the IOC officials. We have done our homework and are hopeful of a favourable result," Batra was quoted in the TOI report.

Virender Nanavati, who got elected unopposed as senior vice-president, said the IOC has not been given a correct picture of the whole story. "I think the IOC has not been given a correct picture of the whole story. The two officials are going to do just that and we are hopeful that it will not take any action after hearing our side of the story," he said.

Meanwhile, the DNA says that India’s suspension from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) seems inevitable following refusal of the international sports body to give time to the Indian Olympic Association’s two-member delegation before its crucial executive board meeting starting on Tuesday. The meeting had been sought by the IOA to clear the air on the ongoing controversy over IOA election process.

It was at the behest of newly-elected IOA president Abhay Singh Chautala that acting president VK Malhotra set up a two-member panel, consisting of NK Batra and RK Anand, to plead India’s case in the wake of world body’s decision to propose suspension at its executive board meeting.

“Our members were ready to board the flight but the IOC has not responded to our letter written three days back,” Malhotra told DNA on Monday, adding: “Now, that the executive board meeting is going to start tomorrow, we don’t see any possibility of a dialogue before that.”

The IOC snub has come as a rude shock to the Chautala group. “We’ve repeatedly been saying that the ongoing election process has not violated the IOC Charter. So, if India is suspended from the IOC membership there will be an outcry in the country,” said a senior functionary of the Chautala group said