Abhinav Bindra, India’s first ever individual Olympic gold medallist, said that it is athletes who suffer in case of any governance lapses and will continue to suffer if there is any suspension, derecognition or other sanction on the Indian Olympic Association.

“There has never been a more exciting time in Indian sport with the best ever performances of our athletes at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The level of government support has also been excellent and is at levels not seen before across a wide variety of sport,” Bindra mentioned in his statement.

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He added, “The prospect of India as a sporting nation is very real and one gets the feeling that we are only getting started. The athletes and the public deserve a strong, responsible, skilled and autonomous institutional structure to take this mission forward.”

Earlier in September, the IOC had issued a last warning for Indian Olympic Association to get their house in order. In order to agree on a constructive solution and establish a roadmap leading to NOC elections, a joint meeting is being held with the parties concerned in Lausanne.

A suspension for the National Olympic Committee will mean the athletes of the country are no longer be able to represent their country and compete under the country’s flag/name at the Olympic Games and other international sports events.

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The recurrent internal disputes and governance issues within the NOC, which have caused delays in the holding of the NOC quadrennial elections that should have taken place in December 2021 were brought up by the IOC’s Executive Board. The EB also pointed out that the Indian’s NOC had already been suspended by the IOC for similar reasons between 2012 and 2014, which Bindra referred to in his statement as well.

In view of the ongoing internal disputes, governance shortcomings and continuing court cases, the EB decided to issue a final warning and consider the immediate suspension of the NOC of India at the next EB meeting in December 2022 if, by then, the NOC of India is not able to.

Bindra posted his statement on social media, where he called for a larger focus on athlete involvement in affairs that affect them.

Here’s the full text of his letter:

Good Morning Dear Friends and Colleagues, 

I turn 40 tomorrow and it is an unexpected bonus to be celebrating this occasion in the Olympic capital. Equally unexpected for me, is to be back for a second meeting on this subject 10 years after the first one. So much has changed in Indian sport over the last ten years and yet a fair bit has not. 

I would like to thank the IOC for inviting me to present the Athletes’ perspective. In compiling and composing my comments I have consulted with a number of athletes, both current and retired, from several Olympic disciplines and different parts of the country. There was much commonality in the suggestions from them and I will share these shortly. Before I do so, I wanted to express the overarching concern of all athletes — that it is athletes who suffer in case of any governance lapses and will continue to suffer if there is any suspension, derecognition or other sanction on the IOA. All of this when athletes have no control or culpability in respect of the matters that affect their careers and livelihood. I hope this anguish will help contextualize the issues I raise. 

What is at stake here? It is the sporting trajectory of 17.5% of the world’s population. There has never been a more exciting time in Indian sport with the best ever performances of our athletes at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The level of government support has also been excellent and is at levels not seen before across a wide variety of sport. The prospect of India as a sporting nation is very real and one gets the feeling that we are only getting started. The athletes and the public deserve a strong, responsible, skilled and autonomous institutional structure to take this mission forward.

In summary, I will address matters under 5 heads (first) Athlete representation in governance, and athlete rights and responsibilities declaration (second) Rationalized IOA membership structure, including athlete membership (third) Clear responsibility framework with checks and balances in governance (fourth) Operational and financial integrity, and (fifth) Institutional mechanism for dispute resolution and athlete welfare. These matters deeply impact athletes and I wish to use this opportunity to focus on these.

At the same time all emphasis must be placed on ensuring there is full compliance with the Olympic Charter, the IOC Ethics standards and Basic Universal Principles of Good Governance, the National Sports Code of India and applicable law in India, as this is critical in order to maintain the integrity of the Olympic and sports movement in India. 

In the interests of time, I will briefly summarise the five key issues from the athletes’ perspective. 

1. First, on the matter of athlete representation and athlete rights, it is essential that the athletes’ voice is understood and reflected in decision making and governance in a concerted and specific manner. There must be a concerted effort to establish and work with Athletes Commissions within the NOC and all NOC members. Athlete representatives, both must have the chance to express the athlete perspective and participate in institutional decision making at all levels from the working group level to general assemblies and the executive board. There must be male and female athletes represented in this group. A majority of these representatives must be elected, and some can be nominated based on pre-established criteria. Creating athlete’s commissions and putting them into operation will take time, but these must be operationalised in a time bound manner with commitment. It is a matter of compliance with the Olympic Charter as well. Additionally, the athlete rights and responsibilities declaration must be adopted and implemented into the IOA constitution. 

2. Second, in terms of delineating and limit the membership structure to permit only Olympic/CWG/Asiad concerned NSFs to constitute voting membership, this is a vital step to ensure accountability. Voting members must be those who comply with the Olympic Charter, Sports Code and have Athletes Commissions in place. Others such as State Olympic Associations could be included as members without voting rights. The emphasis must be on ensuring that a full set of reforms and governance standards are implemented down to the bottom of the pyramid, including presence of an athletes’ commission. Further, individual IOA membership should be made available to a limited number of eminent athletes so that a-pathway for retired Olympians and other athletes to join administration is created. We must also ensure that there is more balance in gender representation in the membership and also in governance as the current representation is far from adequate. 

3. Third, the IOA Constitution must clearly delineate the relative powers and responsibilities (and limitations on these) of the IOA general body, ExCo, Office Bearers and Commissions and Committees. The general body should only be able to delegate powers to ExCo as a whole and not to any Office Bearer(s). Clarity in this framework will ensure designated roles and limitations that act as checks and balances, and will also ensure that critical stakeholders like athletes are not excluded from access to information, decision making and governance. 

4. The fourth point is on operational and financial integrity and transparency. Here, the IOA Constitution must have clear structures to ensure responsibilities are in fact carried out and that the decision making is accountable and transparent. This includes internal and external audits, reporting and public transparency. From an athletes’ perspective, this will ensure that the institutional checks and balances can play out effectively and will enhance athletes’ confidence in the system which is there to support them in their career on and off the field of play. 

5. Finally, the IOA’s institutional structures must be put in place and operationalised. This includes a Dispute Resolution Chamber, Ombudsman, Ethics Officers, Welfare and Safe Guarding Officer and similar posts. Dispute resolution, ethics compliance and safe guarding measures are a critical element of good governance and athletes must be provided effective and cost-efficient fora to have their grievances and complaints addressed.

The Olympic values of excellence, respect and friendship must always be put front and centre, and I implore all stakeholders to take this reform process forward together keeping in mind these values. We must institutionalize the-letter, spirit and practice of good governance in the best interest of our sport and athletes. We recognise that effective implementation of these measures will take time but we should not look for easy or quick fix solutions. We are at the crossroads now and have the opportunity to take meaningful measures to address issues that we have faced for so long.

I would be remiss in not mentioning that, at the heart of everything I have said here, are the dreams of so many of my fellow athletes and aspiring athletes. Dreams are the essence of elite sport. The athlete’s life is one of singular focus, sacrifice and hardship. It is a world where families take loans to support careers which are naturally short, many lives are put on hold, risks are taken. Time is crucial in this world and many may not get second chances. Athletes need all the help they can get on this journey. These collective dreams need encouragement and protection. Those who compete can never be guaranteed victory, but they must at least be assured of good governance and the fair shot that this brings them. 

I am hopeful that, collaboratively and with focus, we can give India and her athletes what they deserve in terms of governance. This also gives me great confidence that I will not be back here for my 50th birthday on similar business.

Thank you all for your attention and consideration.