Indian Olympic Association officials prepare for meeting with International body members
Hockey India General Secretary Batra said that they were waiting for a confirmation of the meeting from the IOC's end. "We have got the flight tickets for three days from today onwards and we will board the flight as soon as we get a confirmation of the meeting from the IOC's side. We are waiting for that and it can come anytime," Narinder Batra told PTI.
Two top Indian Olympic Association officials are preparing to leave for Switzerland for a meeting with International Olympic Committee top brass to plead their case in the wake of the world body's decision to propose IOA's suspension in its Executive Board meeting.
The IOA had sought a meeting of its two representatives -- Narinder Batra and R K Anand -- with the IOC after the world body decided to propose India for disaffiliation in December 4-5 Executive Board Meeting for going ahead with its election process under the government's Sports Code.
It's still unclear what will happen to the December 5 IOA elections if the world body decides to suspend India. The IOC had said in an earlier latter that the IOA elections held under the government's contentious Sports Code will not be recognised.
Hockey India General Secretary Batra said that they were waiting for a confirmation of the meeting from the IOC's end.
"We have got the flight tickets for three days from today onwards and we will board the flight as soon as we get a confirmation of the meeting from the IOC's side. We are waiting for that and it can come anytime," Batra told PTI.
"We have prepared everything to present our case before the IOC officials. We have done our homework and we are hopeful of a favourable result," he said.
Virender Nanavati, who got elected unopposed as senior vice-president in the controversy-marred IOA elections, said that the IOC has not been given correct picture of the whole story.
"I think the IOC has not been given the correct picture of the whole story. The two officials are going to do just that and we are hopeful that the IOC will not take action against India after hearing our side of the story," he said. Nanavati said that the contentious issue of which framework to follow in the IOA polls has changed after the Delhi High Court order.
"There were meetings earlier (among IOC, IOA and government officials) but at that time there was no Court order. But now there is the Delhi High Court order and I want to ask: Can a citizen of this country disobey a court order?" Nanavati asked.
The Delhi High Court had ruled that the December 5 elections be held under the government's Sports Code. Taking the High Court order into account, the IOA-appointed Election Commission had notified that the polls will be conducted under the Sports Code.
The IOC, on the other hand, has directed the IOA to follow "exclusively" the Olympic Charter and failing which it had said it would propose the Indian sports body's suspension.
IOA acting chief in its latest letter to the IOC chief Jacques Rogge had said that his organisation was committed to the Olympic Charter and there was no violation of the Charter as none of the nominations were rejected on the basis of the contentious Sports Code.
The IOA has been opposing the Sports Code ever since it was circulated by the earlier Sports Minister Ajay Maken but it has told the IOC that it will have to obey the High Court order in the upcoming elections.