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International Olympic Committee today rejected Indian Olympic Association's compromise formula on the chargesheet clause even as a defiant IOA stuck to its stand that Indian law would prevail on these matters, further jeopardising the country's chances of a quick return to the Olympic fold.
In its Special General Body Meeting last month, the IOA had come up with a compromise formula to IOC's directive to bar chargesheeted persons from contesting elections with the proposal that the sanction be applied only to those who are convicted and sentenced to a jail term of more than two years.
But the IOC stood firm on its earlier stand during its Executive Board (EB) meeting yesterday ahead of the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires and asked IOA to accept all demands in full before conducting elections.
"Since the suspension of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) in December 2012, the IOC has been working towards finding a solution to improve good governance within the National Olympic Committee (NOC)," the IOC said in a statement on its website.
"The IOC provided the IOA with a roadmap and sent observers to the IOA's General Assembly (GA) that took place on 25 August. The EB heard a report that the GA had approved most of the amendments to the IOA's constitution requested by the IOC, but one specific clause had not been adopted.
"This clause, which deals specifically with the eligibility of members, is key to the good governance of the NOC and needs to be fully accepted before the suspended IOA can proceed with the elections. An official notification of the IOC's position will be sent to the IOA," the statement read.
Despite the tough stand of the IOC, the suspended IOA continued to be in a defiant mood, saying Indian law would prevail on these matters and the world body cannot force these provisions upon it.
