The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has restored crucial solidarity payments to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) in a step to rebuild a working relationship that was severed last year when the IOA was reprimanded for poor governance.
According to Indian press outlet PTI, the IOC’s Olympic Solidarity Director James Macleod confirmed the development in a letter to IOA President PT Usha.
The resumption of the payments – a form of revenue sharing from the IOC’s sponsorship and broadcast contracts that are distributed to National Olympic Committees (NOC) and International Sport Federations (IF) – is critical not only to support athletes in India, but also as an indication of renewed confidence in the IOA as it pursues its bid to host the 2036 Olympics in Ahmedabad.
The IOA’s Executive Council broke down last year after its 12 members refused to recognize Usha’s appointment of Raghuram Iyer as CEO. The NOC’s governance and finances fell into disarray prompting the IOC impose the disciplinary measure to address the violation to the Olympic Charter. As India filed an expression of interest in hosting the 2036 Olympic Games, this year the IOC warned the IOA that the governance issue had to be resolved, and a poor history on doping and athletic performance had to be addressed before the nation could be considered to stage the Games.
In July India’s sport minister intervened to push through the appointment of the CEO, and later ushered in new national sports legislation to help enforce compliance with the Olympic Charter and support grass roots athlete development.
“We took note of the various steps and corrective measures that have been taken over the past few weeks to resolve the internal disputes and governance issues within your NOC,” the letter from Macleod stated.
“…all outstanding internal issues and misunderstandings were discussed in a constructive and transparent manner within your NOC Executive Committee and it was collectively agreed to move forward and work together in a spirit of unity and harmony.
“As a result, we are pleased to confirm that the IOC and Olympic Solidarity are now in a position to progressively resume all payments to your NOC and normalize the working relationship with your NOC.”
Macleod also addressed the National Sports Governance Act, alluding that it has resolved the concerns regarding India’s bid.
He wrote “we trust that this new act will, simultaneously, contribute to the implementation of the basic principles of good governance within the Indian sports organizations and ensure full observance of the Olympic Charter and the statutes of the International Sports Federations, including in particular the fundamental principle of responsible autonomy of the Olympic Movement.”
Much work remains for the IOA if it hopes to win the rights to host in 2036. Shortly after new IOC president Kirsty Coventry was installed in June, the Zimbabwean called for a review of the Olympic bid process which has effectively brought the race to a halt until new findings are delivered by an appointed working group.
Doha has emerged as India’s main rival after the Qatar capital failed in two bids for 2016 and 2020. India had been seen as the favorite in the race due to its early start.
Other places known to be interested in hosting in 2036 include Saudi Arabia, Hungary, Nusantara in Indonesia, Santiago in Chile, Egypt and North Jeolla, South Korea. European contenders could include Germany, Istanbul, Budapest and Spain.
The next Olympic Games will be held in Los Angeles in 2028 followed by Brisbane, Australia in 2032.
Ahmedabad is also considered the favorite to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games as it vies with Abuja, Nigeria in a race that will conclude with an election in Glasgow at the end of November this year.
