NEW DELHI: Making an exemption for the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), the Sports Ministry has allowed the body to continue with a 16-member Executive Council after the IOC recommended that the number remain unchanged despite the National Sports Governance Act's requirement to limit the panel to 15.
In a gazette notification, the Ministry said it has decided to make the exception under article 37 (2) of the National Sports Governance Act which allows relaxation in national laws for sports bodies to remain compliant with the statutes of their international federations.
Currently, the IOA Executive Council has 16 members, including the ex-officio IOC member in India, who has voting rights.
The Ministry said the NSG Act makes it clear that the National Sports Bodies shall "primarily be guided" by the International Charters and Statutes in the governance of their affairs.
This was after the IOA requested the Ministry to relax the norms so that it could comply with the IOC's advisory.
"Ministry is in receipt of a communication from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) that in compliance with the requirements of the Act, the Draft amended Constitution was sent to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for their comments," the Ministry said.
"The IOC has specifically recommended that the number of the Executive Council Members to be kept unchanged and shall remain independent of the number of IOC Member(s) in India.
"This would mean that besides the IOC Member(s), the Executive Council comprises of 15 (fifteen) members," read the notification.
The IOA said it will continue to adhere to the other governance principles and requirements of the Act. It recently amended its constitution at a Special General Body Meeting to adhere to the age and tenure caps prescribed in the Act.
The Ministry said it is "satisfied" that the exemption sought by the IOC "needs to be harmonised with the requirements of the Act concerning the composition of the Executive Council of IOA".
"The Central Government hereby clarifies that, requirements prescribed under Section 4(1)(b) of the Act shall not apply to the Indian Olympic Association to the extent necessary to accommodate the IOC Member(s) in India, who are required under the Olympic Charter to be ex-officio voting member(s) of the Executive Committee...," the Ministry notification read.
The IOA is due to hold its elections later this year.