'Shameful and pathetic': India athletes to compete in Sochi under Olympic flag - Washington Times
‘Shameful and pathetic’: India athletes to compete in Sochi under Olympic flag
LONDON — India athletes will compete under the Olympic flag — not their national flag — at next month’s Winter Games in Sochi.
The three Indians who qualified for the games will compete as “independent” athletes, rather than represent their country, after their national body failed to schedule elections before the start of the Olympics on Feb. 7.
The Indian Olympic Association was suspended by the IOC in December 2012 for electing tainted officials, notably secretary-general Lalit Bhanot, who spent more than 10 months in jail on corruption charges related to the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
The International Olympic Committee said last month it would lift the suspension once new elections are held. The Indians have set their general assembly for Feb. 9, two days after the opening of the Sochi Olympics.
“Following the executive board decision in December, the IOC is considering all necessary arrangements for the Indian athletes who have qualified for the Sochi Games to take part as Independent Olympic Participants under the Olympic flag,” the IOC said in a statement on Thursday.
The trio includes Shiva Kesavan, a 32-year-old luger who will be appearing in his fifth Winter Games.
Kesavan told Indian media that not being able to compete under the national flag was “shameful and pathetic.”
“It is a sad and embarrassing situation that Indian sport has been put in,” he said. “People around the world know about the failure of our systems and about corruption and bad governance in sports.”
Under pressure from the IOC, the Indian body amended its constitution last month to ban corruption-tainted officials from running for election. Had Indianot complied, it would have become the first country expelled from the Olympics since South Africa was kicked out more than 40 years ago.
The IOC has made provisions for athletes to compete under the Olympic flag at previous games.
Athletes from the former Netherlands Antilles and marathon runner Guor Marial of South Sudan competed as independents at the 2012 London Olympics. Athletes from East Timor marched under the Olympic flag at the 2000 Sydney Games.
Olympics: No flag for India's athletes at Winter Games - The Times of India
Olympics: No flag for India's athletes at Winter Games
NEW DELHI: India's athletes lost all hope on Wednesday of competing under the national flag at the Winter Olympics after the country's suspended Olympic association said it would hold elections two days after the Games open in Sochi.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) will hold a poll to elect new leaders on February 9, a senior source said, meaning luge medal hope Shiva Keshavanand three other competitors will be classed as independents, not as Indians.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) froze India's membership in December 2012 after the national association in New Delhi elected a number of tainted officials to key posts.
The IOA last month bowed to pressure and agreed to keep tainted officials out of the fresh elections, but rejected a request from India's sports ministry to hold the new contest before the start of the Games.
A furious Keshavan, preparing abroad for his fifth Winter Olympics that open on February 7, told the Mail Today newspaper on Wednesday that not being able to compete under the national flag was "shameful and pathetic".
"It is a sad and embarrassing situation that Indian sport has been put in," the 32-year-old said. "People around the world know about the failure of our systems and about corruption and bad governance in sports.
"The essence of the Olympic Games is to 'represent' and I feel it is shameful and pathetic for all of us Indians that athletes may not walk under the Indian flag."
IOC president Thomas Bach explained on December 10 that if elections were not held before February 7, Indian qualifiers for Sochi would be officially classified "as independent athletes under the Olympic flag".
A source in the Indian association said on Wednesday: "A notification to hold the elections on Feb 9 has been issued by senior IOA official S Reghunathan, who has chaired the last few meetings."
The officials in the row include IOA secretary-general Lalit Bhanot who is out on bail facing corruption charges linked to the chaotic 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
The IOA source said holding the elections before the Games would have "created complications".
"The decision to have elections on February 9 was taken at a special general body meeting last month," he said. "We would have had to call another general body meeting to change the dates."
Besides Keshavan, who recently won a silver medal at the Luge Asia Cup in Japan, there are three skiers Hira Lal, Himanshu Thakur and Nadeem Iqbal in the Indian squad for the Sochi Games.
"How does an athlete, after putting in years of hard work in training for the Olympics, motivate himself after he is denied an opportunity to represent his own country?" Keshavan said in the interview.
"I remind myself that I am a sportsperson and have to stay focused. In my heart and mind, I will be competing for India and representing our country," said Keshavan.
‘Shameful and pathetic’: India athletes to compete in Sochi under Olympic flag
LONDON — India athletes will compete under the Olympic flag — not their national flag — at next month’s Winter Games in Sochi.
The three Indians who qualified for the games will compete as “independent” athletes, rather than represent their country, after their national body failed to schedule elections before the start of the Olympics on Feb. 7.
The Indian Olympic Association was suspended by the IOC in December 2012 for electing tainted officials, notably secretary-general Lalit Bhanot, who spent more than 10 months in jail on corruption charges related to the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
The International Olympic Committee said last month it would lift the suspension once new elections are held. The Indians have set their general assembly for Feb. 9, two days after the opening of the Sochi Olympics.
“Following the executive board decision in December, the IOC is considering all necessary arrangements for the Indian athletes who have qualified for the Sochi Games to take part as Independent Olympic Participants under the Olympic flag,” the IOC said in a statement on Thursday.
The trio includes Shiva Kesavan, a 32-year-old luger who will be appearing in his fifth Winter Games.
Kesavan told Indian media that not being able to compete under the national flag was “shameful and pathetic.”
“It is a sad and embarrassing situation that Indian sport has been put in,” he said. “People around the world know about the failure of our systems and about corruption and bad governance in sports.”
Under pressure from the IOC, the Indian body amended its constitution last month to ban corruption-tainted officials from running for election. Had Indianot complied, it would have become the first country expelled from the Olympics since South Africa was kicked out more than 40 years ago.
The IOC has made provisions for athletes to compete under the Olympic flag at previous games.
Athletes from the former Netherlands Antilles and marathon runner Guor Marial of South Sudan competed as independents at the 2012 London Olympics. Athletes from East Timor marched under the Olympic flag at the 2000 Sydney Games.
Olympics: No flag for India's athletes at Winter Games - The Times of India
Olympics: No flag for India's athletes at Winter Games
NEW DELHI: India's athletes lost all hope on Wednesday of competing under the national flag at the Winter Olympics after the country's suspended Olympic association said it would hold elections two days after the Games open in Sochi.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) will hold a poll to elect new leaders on February 9, a senior source said, meaning luge medal hope Shiva Keshavanand three other competitors will be classed as independents, not as Indians.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) froze India's membership in December 2012 after the national association in New Delhi elected a number of tainted officials to key posts.
The IOA last month bowed to pressure and agreed to keep tainted officials out of the fresh elections, but rejected a request from India's sports ministry to hold the new contest before the start of the Games.
A furious Keshavan, preparing abroad for his fifth Winter Olympics that open on February 7, told the Mail Today newspaper on Wednesday that not being able to compete under the national flag was "shameful and pathetic".
"It is a sad and embarrassing situation that Indian sport has been put in," the 32-year-old said. "People around the world know about the failure of our systems and about corruption and bad governance in sports.
"The essence of the Olympic Games is to 'represent' and I feel it is shameful and pathetic for all of us Indians that athletes may not walk under the Indian flag."
IOC president Thomas Bach explained on December 10 that if elections were not held before February 7, Indian qualifiers for Sochi would be officially classified "as independent athletes under the Olympic flag".
A source in the Indian association said on Wednesday: "A notification to hold the elections on Feb 9 has been issued by senior IOA official S Reghunathan, who has chaired the last few meetings."
The officials in the row include IOA secretary-general Lalit Bhanot who is out on bail facing corruption charges linked to the chaotic 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
The IOA source said holding the elections before the Games would have "created complications".
"The decision to have elections on February 9 was taken at a special general body meeting last month," he said. "We would have had to call another general body meeting to change the dates."
Besides Keshavan, who recently won a silver medal at the Luge Asia Cup in Japan, there are three skiers Hira Lal, Himanshu Thakur and Nadeem Iqbal in the Indian squad for the Sochi Games.
"How does an athlete, after putting in years of hard work in training for the Olympics, motivate himself after he is denied an opportunity to represent his own country?" Keshavan said in the interview.
"I remind myself that I am a sportsperson and have to stay focused. In my heart and mind, I will be competing for India and representing our country," said Keshavan.
