IOA officials seek help from Thomas Bach to combat 'Sports Bill'

IOA officials requested Thomas Bach to convey their distress over the ‘Sports Bill’ to PM Narendra Modi

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA), apparently peeved with government intervention in its internal affairs, has sought help from visiting International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Thomas Bach to combat the ‘Sports Bill’ in its present form.

Bach, who is on his maiden visit to India following his being elected as IOC chief, has been requested by IOA officials to put forth their grievances about the bill to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The prevalent fear within the apex Olympic body in the country is that the ‘Sports Bill’ stands to threaten its autonomy.

Former IOA President Abhay Singh Chautala, who is also an MLA and serving as the chief of the Haryana Olympic Committee, lent his voice to the apprehensions within the body. "For some time, there has been this issue of the implementation of the Sports Bill. The earlier Congress government had tried to implement this Sports Bill and the current BJP government is also saying that it will implement the Bill," Chautala said.

At the moment, Himachal Pradesh is the only state in India to have implemented the bill. However, sporting committees of many states are mulling over the adoption of the bill even as it continues to be hotly contested by the IOA.

Pointing out that ‘interference’ from the Sports Ministry was undercutting the authority and autonomy of the IOA, Chautala said that Bach had been requested to convey the body’s disappointment with the bill.

"The IOA members have requested the IOC President to convey to the Prime Minister when he meets him our feeling regarding the Sports Bill. There has been interference in the affairs of IOA from the Sports Ministry which is undermining the autonomy of the IOA under the Olympic Charter. This will harm Indian sports," he added.

Bach was occupied the entire day, as he first met with the officials of the IOA at a city Hotel in New Delhi which was followed by another meeting with the Sports Minister, Sarabananda Sonowal, who was accompanied by his secretary, Ajit Sharan and Sports Authority of India (SAI) Director General Injeti Srinivas.

The IOC chief then rounded off his day with a meeting with the Prime Minister of India. Following his tête-à-tête with PM Narendra Modi, Bach dispelled rumours surrounding India’s bid to host the 2024 Olympics.