NEW DELHI: Taking note of the Equestrian Federation of India’s blatant disregard of government guidelines, the Indian Olympic Association has directed EFI not to hold its elections on September 29 without amending its constitution and warned of further action if it proceeds with the polls.
In a communique to the EFI president Lt Gen R Gopal, IOA secretary general Rajeev Mehta has categorically expressed disagreement to the federation going ahead with elections, notified earlier this month, despite not complying with the National Sports Development Code 2011, The Hindu reports.
“… it was unanimously decided (during the IOA AGM in December) that EFI would henceforth continue to be a member of the IOA without voting rights until there are corrective actions in governance. If EFI proceeds with elections and appointments based on the current norms, it would be liable for further sanctions,” the mail warns.
As per the NSDC 2011, only State/UT associations can be part of the electoral college. The EFI, however, has individual members, life members and clubs on its electoral list with the election notice having no mention of any attempt at code compliance.
Quite a few state associations have raised objections to the EFI’s functioning and voting process and sought intervention from the Sports Ministry and the IOA, the daily further reports.
The IOA said it was also against EFI’s practice of appointing officials in government services as office bearers (president, secretary general and treasurer) instead of being elected from among the candidates of state/UT associations, PTI reports .
“… regarding election of EFI on 29 September, 2019, IOA expresses its disagreement on EFI proceeding with elections though the needful amendment of constitution is still pending, which impacts governance in equestrian sport in India,” Mehta’s letter to the EFI president reads.
“If EFI proceeds with the election and appointments based on current norms, it would be liable to further sanctions.”
The IOA stated that under its constitution a National Sports Federation must have only one unit in a state, and only that unit is eligible to vote (in NSF elections).
“The right to vote at any of the NSFs is granted to those associations that have only one sport association in one state for that sport. It implies … it will be ‘one state, one unit’ and at the national level also it will be one unit (that is NSF) for one sport.
“In contradiction, the EFI Statutes … states that all the members of the EFI (including individuals/clubs/units) have the right to attain AGM meetings and right to vote,” Mehta stated in the letter.
Mehta said that instead of office bearers (president, secretary general and treasurer) being elected from among the state/UT associations, the practice of EFI was to appoint officials in government services which “jeopardises the essential principle of Olympic movement to maintain autonomous governance”.
“These violations of EFI were deliberated during the AGM of the IOA on 22 December 2018 and it was unanimously decided that EFI would continue to be a member of the IOA without voting rights, until there are corrective actions in governance.
The Hindu also noted that though the Sports Ministry had set August 3 as the deadline for code compliance as a condition for recognising the EFI, despite the federation not bothering to adhere to the same, it continues to enjoy the status of a recognised ‘priority’ sport.
Earlier this month, the government had also extended interim recognition to the Indian Golf Union for another 90 days despite non-compliance with the NSDC, which was also objected to by the IOA.
