Disappointed with disputes in IOA elections: IOC

The International Olympic Committee on Friday expressed "disappointment" over the reported "issues and disputes" surrounding the conduct of the Indian Olympic Association elections and asked the electoral officer to ensure the process is conducted in compliance with the Olympic Charter in a "free and fair manner and without any external interference".

"The IOC is very disappointed to note that, once again, issues and disputes seem to have resurfaced in the conduct of the IOA election process and in the implementation of the rules governing the IOA elections, despite all the efforts made over the past few years to establish a strong governance framework for the IOA in accordance with the Olympic Charter and the Basic Principles of Good Governance within the Olympic Movement," an IOC spokesperson told HT.

"This extremely regrettable situation is, once again, negatively affecting the operations and reputation of the Olympic Movement in India," the spokesperson added.

The IOC said it has urged the IOA and the electoral officer to ensure that the elections are conducted in "full compliance with the Olympic Charter, the IOA Constitution, and all applicable rules, in a free and fair manner and without any external interference."

IOA president PT Usha lost a bitter SOM election after finishing fifth behind Anju Bobby George, Dola Banerjee, Rani Rampal and Saina Nehwal. Usha reportedly asked the IOC to look into irregularities in the election process. Usha has now been nominated by the Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI).

Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra made public a letter he wrote to the electoral officer on October 31 raising concerns over an apparent inconsistency between the IOA constitution (Article 3.7) and the rules followed during the recently concluded SOM elections. Though Bindra voted in the SOM elections on Monday, he did not contest. Bindra received a response but said his specific questions remained unanswered.

"It is important that our constitutional provisions, electoral rules and administrative procedures are clearly aligned and communicated leaving little room as possible for ambiguity," Bindra had written on Oct 31.