Waiting for dialogue with India: IOC

December 8, 2012

IO

Jaipur, December 8: On Tuesday, the IOC executive board took an extreme step by suspending the Indian Olympic Association. The IOC made it clear that any activities of the IOA will not be recognized by the world body. However, the IOA went ahead with its elections on the next day.

In an exclusive interview with TOI, Pere Miro, director of NOC relations at the IOC, says that the body was forced to take such a decision after repeated warnings to set the house in order fell on deaf ears. Excerpts:

IOA has gone ahead and held elections. Apart from not recognizing the new committee, can the IOC penalize the IOA further?

The IOC does not recognize any such election and that is the end of the matter. As far as the IOC is concerned, Mr VK Malhotra was the functional president when the IOA was suspended and Mr Randhir Singh was the general secretary. We continue to recognize that and any further changes in the IOA don't really affect us.

Now that the IOA has been suspended, what is the stand vis-a-vis India's representative to IOC, Randhir Singh?

I'd like to make it clear that the action is against the IOA and not individuals. Mr Randhir Singh continues to hold his posts in the Olympic Association Of Asia and the IOC.

Has the Indian govt or the IOA approached the IOC after the suspension?

Since the suspension, nobody from India has approached us. We are open to dialogue. If anyone from India does approach us, we are ready to hold talks to sort out the issue. The IOC is keen to ensure that sporting activities happen in India smoothly.

What happens to Indian athletes participating in international events?

India cannot participate in any event held under the IOC jurisdiction as a nation as long as the suspension remains in force. That would include events like the Olympics and the Asian Games. When it comes to athletes, the issue will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. However, in single sport, for example Asian Table Tennis Championship which is conducted by the ITTF, the IOC will respect the decision of the governing body of that sport.

What happens to the Olympic quota places up for grabs in these events?

Quota places for future games are an issue for us. The Olympic Games is still far away and we do hope the issue with the IOA is resolved by then. As of now, if any Indian earns a quota place, the IOC won't really take any decision on that. However, if the issue is not resolved by the time of the Olympics, the IOC would have to take some decision. As of now, the IOC will just wait.

The Indian govt says it only wants to ensure fair elections at IOA in accordance to the Olympic Charter. Your reactions.

If the Indian government says it is not interfering with the IOA election, we would welcome the idea and we would want to understand the details. If they say that they are following the Olympic Charter, they should show it. The Olympic Charter ensures harmony among the IOC, the 204 National Olympic Committees and the laws of all the countries. Normally, we would deal with the IOA only. But then, in this case, we are open to discussions with the Indian government. We are waiting to have dialogue with anyone interested in doing so.

The Indian judiciary wanted IOA elections as per the Sports Code. How could the IOA defy the Court?

We respect the decisions of justice in every nation. But then, the judges will deliver their verdict as per the laws of the nation. The concerned nation should look at the laws regarding sport and ensure that the sports organizations remain autonomous and in harmony with the principles of the Olympic Charter.



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News Network
February 29,2020

Feb 29: India were all out for 242 in their first innings following a stunning battling collapse, triggered by paceman Kyle Jamieson on the opening day of the second cricket Test against New Zealand at the Hagley Oval, here on Saturday.

India were steady at 194 for five at tea but lost wickets in quick succession after the play resumed. Jamieson returned figures of 14-3-45-5.

Hanuma Vihari top-scored for India with his combative 55 while Prithvi Shaw (54) and Cheteshwar Pujara (54) hit contrasting half-centuries.

Virat Kohli's (3) poor run continued while his deputy Ajikya Rahane (7) also fell cheaply.

India lost last five wickets for 48 runs, of which 26 were contributed by last-wicket pair of Mohammed Shami (16) and Jasprit Bumrah (10).

Brief Scores:

India 1st innings: 242 all out in 63 overs. (H Vihari 55, P Shaw 54, C Pujara 54 batting; Kyle Jamieson 5/45, Tim Southee 2/38, ).

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Agencies
June 8,2020

New Delhi, Jun 8: Indian pacer S Sreesanth has slammed England all-rounder Ben Stokes for questioning MS Dhoni's intent during a World Cup match, saying that the former captain will end Stokes' career.

Stokes in his book titled 'On Fire' had questioned Dhoni's intent during India's 31-run defeat at the hands of England in the premier tournament last year.

"For Ben Stokes, I will only say that you should pray that Dhoni does not play against you in the future. Dhoni does not forget things easily," Sreesanth said during a Live session on Helo.

"I wish Stokes all the best for whenever he faces Dhoni again, be it IPL or an England vs India match. You must be earning in millions now, Dhoni Bhai will end your career. Dhoni will strike the ball everywhere and he (Stokes) can never dismiss Dhoni. Before he (Stokes) opens his mouth, he should make sure to wear a helmet," he added.

Former West Indies pacer Michael Holding had also come out in support of Dhoni and said that the wicket-keeper batsman wanted to win the match against England.

"Well, people will write anything in books these days, because people are a lot more free with their opinions and when they are writing books, they need to be making headlines at times," Holding had said on his official YouTube channel.

"...It was not the game that India had to win, but I don't think anyone can say that was a team tactic to lose the game. I watched that game and it appeared to me as if India weren't putting up their 100 percent, but I realised it was not the case when the expression on MS Dhoni's face told me that he desperately wanted to win, so I do not think it was a team decision to not try to win," he had added.

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Agencies
January 5,2020

Mumbai, Jan 5: India captain Virat Kohli has refrained from making any comments on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), without gaining full knowledge on the sensitive subject.

The CAA will grant Indian nationality to people belonging to minority communities -- Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians -- in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan after six years of residence in India instead of 12, even if they don't possess any proper document.

In 2016, Kohli had termed demonetisation as the "greatest move in history of Indian politics", which met with sharp criticism from a lot of quarters, with people questioning his knowledge on the subject.

With Guwahati witnessing massive protests against the CAA till some days back, Kohli was asked about it and the Indian skipper weighed his words carefully.

"On the issue, I do not want to be irresponsible and speak on something that has, you know, radical opinions both sides. I need to have total information, total knowledge of what it means and what is going on and then be responsible to give my opinion on it," Kohli said ahead of India's first T20 International against Sri Lanka.

The skipper made it clear that he will not like to get embroiled in a controversy by commenting on a subject that he is not well aware of.

"Because you can say one thing and then someone can say another thing. So, I would not like to get involved in something that I don't have total knowledge of and it's not going to be responsible on my part to comment on it." However Kohli on his part was happy with the security arrangements and felt that the city is "absolutely safe".

"The city is absolutely safe. We didn't see any problems on the roads," Kohli said, giving his thumbs-up for the match at the Barsapara Stadium.

The Assam Cricket Association is using this match as a "curtain-raiser" ahead of their maiden IPL match this season as Rajasthan Royals have adopted this venue.

There has been deployment of Rapid Action Force for the teams and ACA secretary Devajit Saikia has said the spectators will not even be allowed to bring along handkerchiefs and towels on the match-day as the traditional Assamese scarf was used for protests against CAA.

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