International Olympic Committee suspends India as host for Olympic events

Following denial of visa to Pakistani shooters, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Friday suspended all Indian applications to host future Olympic-related events.

The committee also warned India that it will take away the hosting rights of two more World Cup events allotted to country until central government guarantees in writing that all countries and athletes will be allowed.

IOC reluctantly spared India of 14 shooting quota places, out of total 16, for Tokyo Olympics. After the two Pakistani shooters — GM Bashir and Khalil Ahmed — were not issues visa to take part in the ISSF Shooting World Cup beginning here on Saturday.

IOC relented after talks with sports minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Narendra Batra along with Randhir Singh and Nita Ambani, India’s representatives in the IOC.

DNA has reliably learnt IOC first decided to scrap all the 16 quota places, as was announced by International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) president Vladimir Lisin on Thursday.

But the three, IOA members and Rathore, constantly connected on the phone line, somehow managed to convince the world sports body to only scrap two quota places in 25m Rapid Fire Pistol event, in which the Pakistani shooters were due to take part.

However, IOC warned India that if the government does not give a written assurance, about allowing athletes from all countries, “soon”, the two awarded World Cup events — men’s 2021 World Boxing Champions and 2020 Shooting World Cup — will be taken to other countries.

The IOC had already given two warnings to India on the issue of not granting visas to athletes.

The first was when Kosovo athletes were denied visa for the ‘Women’s Boxing World Championship in November 2018 and before that for the women’s India Cup boxing’.

Even then, AIBA and Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) president Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah had shot off a letter to Rathore warning of “long-reaching ramifications”.

India were also reminded during the meeting, which concluded around 2 am (IST) that there is every possibility that IOA will be suspended much like what happened to Kuwait in 2010, under the Olympic Charter (Rule 28.9 in particular) to protect the Olympic Movement, following political interference in sports by the then government.

If suspended, Indian athletes will be allowed to participate in all the international events, including 2020 Olympic Games, only under the IOC flag and not the Tri-colour.