It is known to all that those with a criminal and a corrupt background are still holding on to their positions to manage sports administration in India. However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) made its stand clear this month.
Meanwhile, its member in India Randhir Singh insisted that it would be better for the apex officials of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to fall in line and failing of which there will be worse days in store for Indian athletes.
Randhir, who is a close friend of newly-elected IOC chief Thomas Bach, asserted that the tainted officials, who have been charge-framed in a court of law, should be excluded from the functioning of the IOA. Randhir declared to the media that they (IOA and the sports ministry) belong to one family and the message is clear from the IOC. He hopes that better sense should prevail and what the IOC has directed has to be accepted. In fact, the executive board of the IOC, in its 4th September meeting announced that it will not cancel the suspension on the IOA unless the top sports body of the country makes the fouled officials ineligible to contest elections.
It has been reported last week that Bach could well allow India's return to Olympic fold. However, Randhir mentioned that Bach is keen to cancel the suspension but for that the IOA officials will have to stick to the IOC diktat.
Particularly, Abhay Singh Chautala and Lalit Bhanot were elected the president & the secretary-general respectively in 5th December elections. However, their election became a sticking point as the IOC clarified that it will not accept a national Olympic committee that has officials with stained past.
Randhir emphasized that we are a country with 1.2 billion people and there are adequate people to be introduced into the Olympic movement of the nation. Specifically, the priority is our sportspersons and being a sportsperson, he can stress that it is a subject of pride for every athlete to represent the country.
There have been suggestions that an ad-hoc body would be ideal in the present scenario. Anyway, Randhir opted to distance himself from the debate. It is well known that any decision on the Olympic movement will have to be taken by the IOC. Moreover, Chautala has already drawn flak over his remarks on the Beijing Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra. Randhir insisted that it was unlucky for someone, who is wannabe to become the IOA president, to comment on an athlete who has made the nation proud at the Olympic level.
Certainly, it was unfortunate that such remarks were made against Abhinav Bindra, who is not only an athlete but also has won a gold medal for the country. He understands that this is a democracy but one must surely respect the decorum of an athlete, who has won the single individual gold for India.
In the meantime, it came to light that the IOA officials have decided that the Olympic movement in India should not suffer setback because of a "few individuals".
An IOA official proclaimed that they have to follow the IOC diktat and they just need to convey the tainted officials. They will have to convey shortly because they may be running out of time.
