NEW DELHI: It's official now. State Olympic Associations (SOAs) have lost their voting rights in the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). They have been reduced to as 'Associate Members' "who cannot stand in elections, cannot vote for any decision and also cannot vote in elections of the IOA". The development came on a day when the Supreme Court allowed the amendment to the constitution of the IOA to be circulated among the members of the national Olympic committee (NOC) which can then be formally adopted in its general body meeting scheduled on November 10 here. A two-judge bench composed of Justices D Y Chandrachud and Hima Kohli also accepted the court-appointed one-man committee of retired SC judge, Justice L Nageswara Rao, to hold the IOA's executive body elections on December 10.
The elections will be held for following positions: "president, one senior vice president, two vice presidents, including one male and one female VP, treasurer, two joint secretaries including one male and one female JS, six other executive council (EC) members out of which one male and one female shall be from the elected SOMs (sportsperson of outstanding merits) and two representatives, one male and one female, elected by the athletes' commission from among its members". No proxy voting will be allowed.
