India's Olympic ban to continue after IOC rejects IOA's compromise formula

India's wait to get back to Olympic fold will be delayed further after the International Olympic Committee stuck to its stand on the chargesheet clause, clearly stating that the IOA has to adopt the above mentioned clause in order to ensure good governance.

In its Special General Body Meeting last month, the Indian Olympic Association had proposed a compromise formula to IOC's directive asking it to bar chargesheeted persons from contesting elections.

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According to the IOA proposal, the sanction will apply only to those officials who are convicted and sentenced to a jail term of more than two years.

But the IOC stood firm on its stand during its Executive Board (EB) meeting on Thursday ahead of the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires and asked IOA to accept all demands in full before conducting elections.

"Since the suspension of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) in December 2012, the IOC has been working towards finding a solution to improve good governance within the National Olympic Committee (NOC)," the IOC said in a statement on its website.

"The IOC provided the IOA with a roadmap and sent observers to the IOA's General Assembly (GA) that took place on 25 August. The EB heard a report that the GA had approved most of the amendments to the IOA's constitution requested by the IOC, but one specific clause had not been adopted.

"This clause, which deals specifically with the eligibility of members, is key to the good governance of the NOC and needs to be fully accepted before the suspended IOA can proceed with the elections. An official notification of the IOC's position will be sent to the IOA," the statement read.

India was suspended from the Olympic movement in December last year after tainted Lalit Bhanot, who is facing corruption charges linked to the scandal-hit 2010 Commonwealth Games, was elected secretary-general of the IOA.

The IOC asked the IOA to amend its constitution to keep officials facing criminal or corruption charges out of the election process.

Image: IOC president Jacques Rogge

Photograph: Harold Cunningham/Getty Images