IOC invites Sports minister for meeting on June 18

The International Olympic Committee has invited Sports minister MS Gill for a meeting on June 18 in Switzerland to discuss the contentious tenure limitation guidelines while insisting that the regulations should not be implemented till then.

"Following our previous communications in relation to the current situation of the Olympic and sports movement in India and as directed by IOC President, I would like to invite you for a meeting on 18th June (afternoon) at the IOC in Lausanne, Switzerland, in order to discuss and review this situation with you," IOC's National Olympic Committee (NOC) Relations Director Pere Miro wrote in his letter to Gill.

IOC member Randhir Singh and Husain Al-Musallam, Director General and Technical Director of the Olympic Council Asia (OCA) will also be present in the meeting, Miro said in the letter.

The IOC official also made it clear that the sports ministry should not implement the guidelines meant for the sports bosses in the country till then.

"As already mentioned in our previous letters, until we may discuss these issues openly and amicably, it is our understanding that the guidelines which were issued by your Ministry will not be imposed on the organisations of the Olympic Movement in India." Miro added.

The guidelines in question seek to limit the tenure of National Sports Federation (NSF) presidents to 12 years, suggest that secretaries and treasurers cannot function more than eight years at a stretch and advocates a 70-year retirement age for all executives.

NSFs and the Indian Olympic Association are up in arms against the guidelines, which they feel is a breach of the Olympic Charter and an infringement on their autonomy. They also have the support of both IOC and OCA.

The IOC, in fact, has threatened to take up the issue in its Executive Board meeting later this month with hints that implementation of the guidelines might lead to an international ban on India.

IOC member and IOA secretary-general Randhir Singh, however, hoped that such an eventuality is avoided.

"I'm going to the meeting in Lausanne. I hope better sense prevails and the Olympic Charter is respected and understood by all. I also hope no attempts is made to infringe the autonomy of the National Olympic Committee or the NSFs," Randhir said.

The Sports Ministry cited laws in countries like Sri Lanka and Malaysia to push through the guidelines even though officials there had something different to say.

Hemasiri Fernando, who has been at the helm of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) in Sri Lanka for the last 13 years, said the Sri Lankan Sport Law of 1973, which initially prescribed a two-tenure limit for the sports administrators, has been amended since then.

"In 1993, an amendment was made to the law to restrict the office-bearers' tenures to a maximum of two terms. In 2006, that clause was dropped and there is no limit to an office-bearer's term here," Fernando said.

"There is no restriction to the terms and I have been the head of the NOC here for the last 13 years," Fernando said from Colombo.

An Olympic Council of Malaysia official said a similar effort was made by the government there but OCM thwarted the bid, saying sports administrators could not be discriminated against and any such law should apply to all associations, organisations and political parties.

The government finally had to drop that provision in the Sports Act of Malaysia. Besides, under the Constitution of Malaysia, the sports bodies there enjoy the 'Freedom of Association' and the democratic right of self-determination, he added.