New Delhi: Indian Olympic Association (IOA), on Wednesday, rescheduled its elections on December 5 even though the government mounted pressure on the apex sporting body to follow the sports code in the high profile polls.
The elections were earlier scheduled on November 5 but was postponed after the head of the poll panel, SY Quaraishi, submitted his resignation.
On a day when IOA acting president Vijay Kumar Malhotra declared the fresh date for the elections after consultation with the three-member poll panel, the sports ministry wrote to IOC president Jacques Rogge, urging him to defer the elections till a meeting is held on "fair election process".
To corner the anti-sports code lobby in the IOA further, the ministry fired another salvo when they show caused Malhotra-headed Indian Archery Association (IOA) for not following the code in its elections earlier this month. AAI has been asked to reply in the next 10 days.
As per the sports code, no principal office bearer in the national sports federations (NSFs) are allowed to continue in their posts for more than two terms and beyond the age of 72. If implemented, the code might force several sports administrators in the country to vacate their chairs.
However, the ministry's letter to the IOC is widely seen in the IOA circle as an attempt by the government to defer the polls. Writing to Rogge, the sports ministry secretary, Pradeep Kumar Deb, requested IOC to hold a meeting in India with representatives of ministry and IOA to sort out the issues involving the sports code.
