Delhi HC appoints committee to take over affairs of Indian Olympic Association

A bench of Justices Manmohan and Najmi Waziri said the “persistent recalcitrance” of the IOA to comply with the Sports Code made it imperative that its affairs be put in the hands of the COA comprising former Supreme Court judge Justice Anil R. Dave, former Chief Election Commissioner Dr. S.Y.

Quraishi, and former Secretary of Ministry of External Affairs Vikas Swarup. The court directed the executive committee of IOA to forthwith hand over the charge to the newly appointed committee and said that the members of the CoA will be assisted by three eminent sportspersons, namely, Shooter Olympian Abhinav Bindra, Long Jump Olympian Anju Bobby George, and Archer Olympian Bombayla Devi Laishram. The IOA is recognised by the International Olympic Committee as the National Olympic Committee for India.

The court, which considered in detail the issues concerning the tenure of office bearers and voting rights, struck down the post of “Life President” and any such permanent post for an individual in the IOA for being illegal and said that the maximum term for the President and likewise to all Office Bearers and members of the EC has to be limited to 3 tenures as per the law. It said that sportspersons, both men and women, should be included in the general and executive committees of the sports body. “There is every reason to acknowledge women's significant presence in the sporting world.

Sports administration is not a male preserve. It is a matter of record that in all its 95 years of existence the IOA has never had a woman as its President or Secretary General. Surely women do aspire to be in significant positions in the decision-making process.