IOA athletes’ panel ratifies SOM poll hours after vote, raises questions over Article 3.7

NEW DELHI: In a curious development that has raised fresh questions over the Indian Olympic Association's (IOA) electoral process, its Athletes' Commission ratified the Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM) election results within hours of the polls on Nov 9, despite Article 3.7 of the IOA constitution stipulating that the eight SOMs be selected by the commission before their induction into the General Assembly. Minutes of the virtual meeting, in possession of TOI, reveal that the commission recorded its "confirmation, adoption and ratification" of the independent election process after the results had already been declared. The meeting was held without any formal communication or circulated agenda, raising questions over the haste with which the exercise was endorsed. The minutes themselves acknowledge that Article 3.7 provides for selection of eight SOMs by the Athletes' Commission, followed by ratification by the General Assembly. However, the commission relied on the SOM Rules, which provide for an independent election through an 80-member roster. The question is whether these rules can override the constitutional provision, particularly when Article 32 states that the IOA constitution takes precedence over rules and bye-laws in case of a contradiction.

Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra had flagged precisely this inconsistency in a letter to IOA president P T Usha and CEO Raghuram Iyer, seeking clarity on the selection mechanism. The minutes now add another dimension: the commission ratified a process that had already been completed, instead of selecting the eight representatives beforehand. The controversy is compounded by allegations of omissions from the electoral roster. Former international boxer Manoj Kumar, a Commonwealth Games gold medallist, told TOI that his name figured in the draft SOM list published on Oct 19 but disappeared from the final roster on Oct 23. He alleged a conspiracy to accommodate Dola Banerjee's brother Rahul and said his complaints to the electoral officer, sports ministry and IOA went unanswered. Same happened with former international volleyball player Sukhpal Singh, whose name was initially included in the SOM roster but subsequently dropped.