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International Olympic Committee
The feud between Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha and revolting Executive Council members took another ugly turn after a dozen of them shot off a letter to senior IOC official Jerome Poivey accusing the legendary athlete of running the organization in an "autocratic" manner. During Thursday's meeting, there was a bitter confrontation during the IOA meeting where the embattled Usha outrightly rejected their appeal of removing Raghuram Iyer from CEO's post. In a letter to Poivey, the head of Institutional Relations and Governance at the International Olympic Committee (IOC), who attended the stormy IOA Executive Council meeting via video-conference, the 12 EC members said they want the the national body to be governed "democratically". Usha, on her part, has already said that the appointment of Iyer was done by strictly adhering to the IOA constitution in an EC meeting on January 5, which was video-graphed, and there was no reason to backtrack from that decision. Th
International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach on Friday said he has a "certain understanding" for Vinesh Phogat, who has challenged her disqualification from Olympic finals in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), but also wondered where would one draw the line after allowing small concessions in certain situations. The 29-year-old was disqualified for being 100gm overweight ahead of her 50kg category gold medal bout on Wednesday. She then appealed against her disqualification in CAS, demanding that she be awarded a joint silver medal before eventually announcing her retirement from the sport. "I must say, I have a certain understanding for the wrestler; it's clearly a human touch," said Bach, during an IOC media conference here. "Now, it's (appeal) in CAS. We will, at the end, follow the CAS decision. But, again, the international (wrestling) federation, they have to apply their interpretation, their rules. This is their responsibility," he added. Asked if two ..
The United World Wrestling (UWW) president Nenad Lalovic categorically informed Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha that the current weigh-in rule that led to the disqualification of Vinesh Phogat from women's freestyle 50 kg final "cannot be changed in retrospect" while sympathising with the grappler for the turmoil she is going through. Vinesh, who was in the final of the 50 kg category was found overweight by 100 gram during the second day's mandatory weigh-in, leading to her disqualification from the gold medal match. "On IOA's suggestion that a wrestler's results from the day on which the athlete met the weigh-in requirements should not be disqualified, the UWW President was sympathetic. UWW will also discuss the suggestion at an appropriate platform but it could not be done retrospectively," the said UWW in a statement which would certainly ring good for Vinesh. Meanwhile, the Indian wrestler has also appealed against disqualification from Olympic finals in the
India's sports administrators would be "lobbying" hard during the upcoming Paris Olympics to brighten the country's chances of hosting the 2036 Games where they will push for the inclusion of indigenous disciplines like yoga, kho kho and kabaddi if their ambitious bid is successful. The Sports Authority of India's Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) presented its detailed report on the measures needed for a successful bid to new sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday. In this document, MOC has identified six disciplines, including yoga, kho kho, kabaddi, chess, T20 cricket and squash for inclusion in the 2036 Olympics if the country gets to host the quadrennial extravaganza. "We met the new Sports Minister yesterday and handed him the report. The minister said he will need a few days to go through it. But he asked us to prepare another report on how sports can be a career option in the country, how to build interest among youth, how to bring private players into sports," a senior memb
The International Olympic Committee believes its president Thomas Bach fell prey to a prank telephone call amid rising tensions with Russia over restrictions on its athletes competing at the Paris Games. The IOC on Thursday detailed a call from people claiming to be from the African Union a similar trick to one played by Russian callers on Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni in September. In Meloni's call, she acknowledged fatigue with the war in Ukraine believing she was talking with officials of the African Union. The IOC said it had calls with a person pretending to be the chair of the African Union Commission wanting to discuss a statement on the politicisation of sport. The IOC and Bach have publicly criticised the Russian state including over plans to organise an international multi-sports event in September, weeks after the Paris Olympics close. Russian athletes who pass vetting to compete in Paris also will not take part in the opening ceremony parade of boats on the River Sei
Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Friday appointed Indian Premier League side Rajasthan Royals' former official Raghuram Iyer as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), a year after it was due and following repeated reminders from the IOC. The IOA said Iyer was appointed as its CEO after a "meticulous selection process conducted by the nomination committee". "After careful consideration and thorough interviews with the shortlisted candidates, the nomination committee unanimously selected Mr Raghuram Iyer for the role of CEO," the IOA said in a statement. "His wealth of experience and proven track record in sports management and administration makes him an ideal candidate to lead the IOA in its mission to promote and develop Olympic sports in India," it said. Iyer had earlier served as CEO of IPL sides Rajasthan Royals and Rising Pune Supergiants. As per the new Constitution drafted by a Supreme Court-constituted panel and approved by the IOC, the IOA was to appoint a CEO who would ..
Russia clashed with the International Olympic Committee on the floor of the United Nations before 118 member states voted to adopt a traditional truce around the 2024 Paris Summer Games. Two years ago, Russia voted for the previous Olympic Truce resolution then flagrantly breached it by invading Ukraine four days after the 2022 Winter Games closed in Beijing. Relations between Russia and IOC President Thomas Bach have not recovered since though the Olympic body eased its initially tough stance of exclusion by urging sports bodies to let some athletes compete as neutral individuals with no symbols of national identity. Such conditions are completely unacceptable, Russian diplomat Maria Zabolotskaya said Tuesday speaking immediately before Bach in the Olympic Truce debate at the UN in New York. The height of hypocrisy and cynicism the likes of which we have not seen in recent history has been the illegal barring of Russian athletes from international sporting competitions, said ...
Cricket was on Monday officially included in the programme for the 2028 Los Angles, marking the sport's return to the Summer Games after 123 years. Besides cricket, which will be played in T20 format, the other sports approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) during its 141st session, were squash, baseball/softball, lacrosse and flag football. "The proposal from the Organising Committee of the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 (@LA28) to include five new sports in the programme has been accepted by the IOC Session. "Baseball/softball, cricket (T20), flag football, lacrosse (sixes) and squash will be in the programme at LA28," posted the IOC on X, formerly Twitter. The proposal to include the five sports recommended by LA28 Organising Committee was opposed by only two of the 99 IOC members, who participated in voting. IOC president Thomas Bach made the announcement of cricket's inclusion along with other sport after the recommendation of the Executive Board was put to vote
The International Olympic Committee is "closely" following the developments in Indian wrestling and "supporting" the United World Wrestling in resolving the issue, said the IOC director of communication Mark Adams on Sunday. The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has been suspended by United World Wrestling (UWW) for not conducting elections in the given time frame. Indian wrestlers competed at the World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia in September under the UWW flag because of the national federation's suspension. Adams, who is here for the IOC Session when asked if the International Olympic Committee had spoken to Indian Olympic Association (IOA) or any other officials about the issues concerning wrestling, said, "We are keeping across this one very closely, but the Wrestling Federation (UWW), which is the key interlocutor in this case, and we are following and supporting them (UWW), so I think most of your question is best directed to the Wrestling Federation (UWW)." The IOA
Members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Sunday urged the incumbent president Thomas Bach to stay on in his role after he completes his term in 2025. Bach, the former Olympian from Germany, is the ninth president of the IOC. He was elected to an eight-year term at the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires in 2013. In March 2021, Bach was re-elected IOC president for four years. The Olympic Charter restricts a president's term to 12 years, a norm that was put in place by Jacques Rogge to avoid lengthy tenures. Bach had succeeded Rogge, who had served as the IOC chief from 2001 to 2013. On the inaugural day of the IOC's 141st Session here, most of its 99 members were of the opinion that Bach should stay on for a third term after his tenure ends in 2025, though it will require changes to be made to the Olympic Charter. IOC member Luis Mejia Oviedo said, "You have shown us the best way to go forward. We have to look after this (Olympic) movement. That is why I would like t
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Sunday amended the Olympic Charter to strengthen its human rights commitments during the the first day of its 141st Session here. The IOC Session approved the inclusion of additional wordings relating to the respect of human rights after the executive board made a recommendation to this effect in September this year. Additional wording has been included in the Fundamental Principles of Olympism as an overarching commitment to the respect for human rights, specifically in Fundamental Principles of Olympism 1 and 4, the IOC said. The change is a result of the work by the Legal Affairs Commission and its consultation with the Advisory Committee on Human Rights, it added. The new wordings in Fundamental Principles of Olympism 1 are 'internationally recognised human rights' and 'within the remit of the Olympic movement'. In the Fundamental Principles of Olympism 4, 'internationally recognised human rights' and within the remit of the Olympic