CHENNAI: It seems the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) is accepting that there is no Executive Council (EC) as of now. IOA secretary general on Wednesday claimed there is no EC as its tenure got over after four years on December 14 last year. Interestingly, both the president and secretary general are part of the EC and it needs to be seen how day-to-day activities of the IOA is functioning. According to some IOA members, the tenure is from election to election. Another practice is to call for a general body meeting (special) to extend the tenure of the EC.
In another bizarre twist, the IOA president and secretary general are locked in an ugly and bitter tussle. This even as Delhi High Court is hearing a petition challenging election over its constitution, which according to the petitioner violates the Sports Code on 13 points.
A day after accreditation for the Asian and Commonwealth Games intimation letter was released by the IOA, president Narinder Batra invalidated the IOA email-id and the IOA website. Secretary general Rajeev Mehta called Batra's move illegal and unconstitutional. Mehta said that whatever the president had done is illegal.
In his police complaint, Batra alleged that someone was impersonating him and sending mails from IOA's official id — ioa@olympics.ind.in. Batra filed a police complaint saying, "It has been brought to my notice that a person is impersonating me as President, Indian Olympic Association and sending emails." He even invalidated its official email id and its website.
According to a circular to IOA members, Batra said that the email id and the website will cease to exist with immediate effect. This was a fallout after the email id ioa@olympics.ind.in password was apparently not shared with the president. Batra said that he has the mandate of 18 out of the 31 EC members to take this decision. Interestingly, according to the letter, he did not get a reply from 11 and two did not approve. The IOA
On the other hand, Mehta said the secretary is in charge of the day-to-day activities of the organisation. "The IOA staff uses the official mail and if the president wants to send something he can tell the staff who will check and send," he said. "It's not anyone's personal id."
In a letter refuting all charges levelled by the IOA president, Mehta said, "Your (Batra's) demand for the password of the current email id, and thereafter your consequent action to change official email id from ioa@olympic.ind.in to ioa2022official@gmail.com and your plan/proposal to create new official website of IOA, all smack of foul play on your part in hijacking the whole system to manipulate the data/information for your own benefits ahead of elections of IOA."
And he is rejecting the resolution saying, besides it being illegal, "...for the reason how any such resolution could be proposed and passed by EC when the term of the EC has already expired on December 14, 2021."
Batra had said that all emails sent by the "secretary general after he changed the password and refused to share with the office staff who operated the email, hence all mails/letters sent by the secretary general... will have no legal sanctity." Mehta has said the official communication will continue on the same email id. "...staff at the IOA secretariat has been instructed to discharge their function through the current email id i.e. ioa@olympic.ind.in and website i.e. www.olympic.ind.in," his letter said.