Randhir withdraws from IOA vote after IOC warning

NEW DELHI: Veteran administrator Randhir Singh withdrew yesterday from the Indian Olympic Association elections next month after the IOC warned the organization to adhere to its own constitution and not follow a contentious government sports code.
Randhir, who was running for president after being the IOA secretary-general for 25 years, said he had withdrawn from the Dec. 5 vote because it wouldn’t be recognized by the International Olympic Committee and that the IOA could be barred for falling in line with the government code that puts age and tenure restrictions on officials.
The IOC said Friday it would consider imposing sanctions at its executive board meeting on Dec. 4-5 in Lausanne, Switzerland.
“The letter was written by none other than IOC chief Jacques Rogge and Olympic Council of Asia President Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah and I, being an IOC member, cannot go against the institution to which I belong. That’s why I’m withdrawing from the elections,” said the 66-year-old Randhir, who has been an IOC member for 11 years and the Olympic Council of Asia secretary-general for 21 years.
Suspension would mean the national bodies would no longer receive IOC funding and its officials would be banned from attending Olympic meetings and events. The countries’ athletes would also be barred from competing in the Olympics under their national flags, although the IOC could allow them to do so under the Olympic flag.
The Indian body has been affected by confusion and wrangling over elections to replace Suresh Kalmadi, who was jailed for nine months in graft cases related to the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi before being granted bail.
Kalmadi, who headed the IOA for 16 years, recently bowed to pressure and decided not to seek re-election. Another veteran administrator, Vijay Kumar Malhotra, has been running the association as acting president.
However, Kalmadi’s close aide, Lalit Bhanot, who was also in jail last year for corruption charges related to the Commonwealth Games, is running for secretary-general.