'Govt won't go to IOC meet unless there's consensus'

The Sports Ministry said unless there is consensus in the IOA, the government will not be going for the meeting with the International Olympic

Committee scheduled to be held in Lausanne on May 15 to find a way for India's return to the Olympic movement.

"Unless there is a consensus, the government (representatives) will not be going (to Lausanne)," Sports secretary P K Deb said.

Deb further added that until all the National Sports Federations (NSFs) agree to be on a common platform, there was no point for the government to participate in the meeting.

"We will see how things progress but unless all NSFs agree to a common platform, we will not go," he said.

Asked if the government have any preferences as far as the candidates, who would be representing the Indian Olympic Association in Lausanne, is concerned, Deb's said it really doesn’t matter who goes for the meeting. "It doesn't matter who goes for the meeting with the IOC. What matters to us is they (should) speak in the same voice," insisted Deb.

The IOA finalised a four-member delegation, which will accompany Sports Ministry officials, for the meeting with the IOC.

The list includes the names of Vijay Kumar Malhotra (Acting President of IOA), N Ramachandran (Patron, Squash Rackets Federation of India), Tarlochan Singh (vice-president, Archery Association of India) and S Raghunathan (President, Indian Kayaking Canoeing Association).

It was learnt that the suspended IOA, headed by Abhay Singh Chautala, has also submitted a list to the IOC in which the names of Batra, Anand and AFI President Adille Sumariwalla were included.

Last month, when the IOC had extended an invitation to the representatives of the IOA and Sports Ministry for a meeting to resolve India's suspension issue, it had urged the two bodies to sort out their differences so that they could be on the same page as far as the Sports Code is concerned before the meeting.