First FIFA’s AIFF, now IOA, what lies at stake for India’s sporting federations? EXPLAINED
In recent days, the Committee of Administrators (CoA) has been spearheading Indian sport. But the country’s top sports associations have also been affected by the court-appointed body in the past. The COA’s settlement will include not only a new constitution, but also the handling of electoral processes for appointing officers with fixed terms and age limits. We take a look at various sports federations in India that have been affected by COA’s intervention.
National Sports Associations under COA scanner
AIFF
The All India Football Federation was banned by FIFA just a few days ago due to third party interference. The ban meant India also lost the right to host the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in October. The COA came into play when Praful Patel was removed from the post of President. Meanwhile, FIFA said the ban will be lifted once the AIFF administration regains full control of the national body’s day-to-day affairs.
Indian Olympic Association
The Delhi High Court recently appointed COA to take over the affairs of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), only for the High Court to grant interim relief. The IOA’s ban is still a threat as it is yet to hold elections despite threats from the IOC to suspend the body. Back in 2012, the IOA was suspended by the International Olympic Committee for more than a year due to corrupt officials and government interference in the federation.
Ice Hockey India
The COA was tasked to deal with the day-to-day affairs of Hockey India after former Indian player Aslam Sher Khan challenged Indian IOA President Narinder Batra’s appointment as a life member. However, the Supreme Court held that Batra’s lifetime membership and the post of Elena Norman, CEO of HI, were illegal. Thanks to the support of the FIH, Hockey India has a lifeline for its survival as October 9 has been set as the date for conducting the elections.
Boxing Federation of India
While Indian boxers have brought fame to the nation on an international level, controversy has plagued the boxing community on the administrative front. The Indian Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) was suspended by the International Amateur Boxing Federation (AIBF) in 2012 for vote rigging. A year later the body was dissolved and out came Boxing India (BI), which was later recognized by the world body. However, due to power struggles in BI, the AIBF decided to suspend the panel and matters were placed in the hands of the ad hoc panel.
archery
The Archery Association of India also faced the brunt of the suspension of two bodies that governed the game in the country through the World Archery Federation in 2019. However, in early 2020 the suspension was lifted following the conclusion of elections for the Archery Association of India.
BCCI
The match-fixing scandal during the Indian Premier League in 2013 led to CoA being brought into play to handle BCCI matters. The CoA’s tenure finally ended in 2019 when Sourav Ganguly became President following the successful BCCI elections. Jay Shah has been appointed Secretary to the Cricket Board.