Ethics Committee will be formed again: Malhotra

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) acting president Vijay Kumar Malhotra said they will again form the ethics committee and arbitration commission, which were scrapped during their general body meeting earlier this month.

Malhotra said they are studying the rules and will reinstate these committees within 15 days. The IOA had dissolved these committees during their annual general meeting on December 15 which has created an uproar and drawn the ire of sports ministry.

“We are studying the rules. We were never against forming these committees. There were some  discrepancies over a  few clauses in the constitution, that is why we decided to disband these committees,” Malhotra told Deccan Herald. 

“I had earlier said we will form these committees within 15 days.  In fact, we will try to reinstall them as early as possible."

Sports Minister  Ajay Makan had said on Tuesday the disbanding of these committees were not done in a transparent manner and stressed on the need to introduce the sports bill for effective functioning of federations.

Malhotra said the sports bill has no role here. “What is the role of sports bill here? It has nothing to do with it.The government should look after its own affairs. These committees will soon be in place,” he said.

The IOA secretary-general and India’s member at the International Olympic Council (IOC)  Randhir Singh was livid with the action of IOA.  He, on Monday, welcomed the IOA decision to form the committees again.

“It is a good news. It was important for the image of  the IOA. Otherwise, we would have cut a very sorry figure. I hope these committees will be formed soon,” Randhir told Deccan Herald.

The IOA had set up the Ethics panel along with the Arbitration panel  in September after it amended its constitution, which was approved by the IOC.