Berlin: The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) risks being banned from the Olympics by December if it does not resolve a number of governance and election disputes, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Thursday. ).
The IOC Executive Board has also decided to postpone its session in Mumbai in May 2023 to September/October 2023.
The IOA elections were scheduled for last December but were stalled by a court case seeking to amend its constitution in accordance with the rules stipulated by the national sports code.
The IOC said the issues would have to be resolved by the time of its December session or else the IOA would be banned, which would prevent Indian athletes from participating in all Olympics and block any IOC funding of the IOA.
“In order to agree on a constructive solution and establish a roadmap leading to the National Olympic Committee (NOC) elections, the IOC will organize a joint meeting with all parties concerned later this month in Lausanne,” said said the Olympic body in a press release.
“Given the uncertain situation, the IOC Session which was to take place in Mumbai in May 2023 has been postponed to September/October 2023.”
“Depending on the decisions taken at its next meeting in December 2022, regarding the NOC (National Olympic Committee) of India, the IOC Executive Board will decide whether the IOC Session in 2023 should be kept in India or moved. “
The AIO had already been banned at the end of 2012 after an election saw a corrupt official elected to the post of general secretary.
The South Asian nation returned to the Olympic fold two years later at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games after voting for a new group of officials.
The IOC has also warned the Guatemalan National Olympic Committee of a ban next year if a domestic legal dispute is not resolved.
Paris will host the next Summer Olympics in 2024. The 2026 Winter Games will be hosted by Milan and Cortina D’Ampezzo in Italy.
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