IOA should become a model for rest of the world, says KPS Gill

Calling on the IOA to sort out the administrative mess which led to India's suspension from the Olympic movement, IHF patron KPS Gill on Sunday said that the overhauling should put in place a system so clean and efficient that it becomes a model for the world to follow.

"IOA, in international area should become a model organisation because we are a very large country. About 1/5th people of the world live in India. People are interested in sports. So, we should be so transparent, so clean, so efficient that we become model for the rest of the world," Gill said at a press conference here.

Hardening its stand against the Indian Olympic Association, the International Olympic Committee has asked the Indian body to sack "charge-framed" officials through constitutional amendments by October 31 and conduct fresh elections by December 15 to return to the Olympic fold.

According to Gill, who is also the chief advisor of the Indian Hockey Federation, the IOA should not have been in this position at first place.

"We should not be in this position that the world body is telling us to improve our the code of ethics, follow the suggestions you are giving. we should become leaders in this, not followers."

Furious with ace shooter Abhinav Bindra's sustained campaign against tainted officials in the IOA, the suspended body's president, Abhay Singh Chautala had launched a stinging personal attack on the former Olympic gold-medallist. And Gill said it was not in "good taste".

"Bindra is one of the 'Pride of the nation'. He has achieved much and he will achieve more. So, what has been said about him is not in good taste and it is condemnable and should not be done. We can only build public opinion.

"Rest, what has to be done will be done by the organisation only and a tussle is going on in the organisation. But, I have full confidence that there will be a good result to this tussle and whosoever is involved in this must understand their responsibility and reach to a compromise." Gill said.

Giving its "conclusions and decisions" on the IOA's Executive General Meeting held here on August 25, the IOC had said the key provision of barring individuals, against whom charges have been framed in court, was ignored by the Indian body.

"The IOC is well aware of the difference in the Indian legal system between charge-sheeted persons and charge-framed persons and has never requested that the clause initially proposed applies for charge-sheeted persons. Therefore it is reiterated that the initial wording is aimed to apply for anyone charge-framed by a court in India," IOC director general Christophe de Kepper had said in a letter to the IOA.