International Olympic Committee, IOC, President Jacques Rogge speaks during a press conference after the last day of the executive board's meeting, in Lausanne, Switzerland, Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013. IOC President Jacques Rogge has backed Pat McQuaid to lead the International Cycling Union in its ongoing dispute with the World Anti-Doping Agency. Rogge tells reporters the Olympic body does not currently plan on intervening in a row fuelled by the Lance Armstrong doping case. Asked for an opinion on cycling's leadership, Rogge says "we have confidence in Mr. McQuaid as president of the UCI." (AP Photo/Keystone,/Laurent Gillieron)
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International Olympic Committee, IOC, President Jacques Rogge speaks during a press conference after the last day of the executive board's meeting, in Lausanne, Switzerland, Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013. IOC President Jacques Rogge has backed Pat McQuaid to lead the International Cycling Union in its ongoing dispute with the World Anti-Doping Agency. Rogge tells reporters the Olympic body does not currently plan on intervening in a row fuelled by the Lance Armstrong doping case. Asked for an opinion on cycling's leadership, Rogge says "we have confidence in Mr. McQuaid as president of the UCI." (AP Photo/Keystone,/Laurent Gillieron)
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From left, Ugur Erdener, International Olympic Committee member, the President of the Turkish National Olympic Committee and the President of World Archery, Kadir Topbas, the Mayor of Istanbul, Hasan Arat, Istanbul 2020 Bid Chairman and the Vice President of the Turkish National Olympic Committee, pose for photographers in front of the IOC headquarters before they submit their candidature bid of 2020 Istanbul Olympic summer games at the International Olympic Committee, IOC, headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, Monday, Jan. 7, 2013. The International Olympic Committee announced that Istanbul, Tokyo and Madrid have made it on to the short list of cities bidding to host the 2020 Olympic Games. (AP Photo/Keystone, Jean-Christophe Bott)
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Liverpool's Luis Saurez, left, scores the third goal for his side against Zenit St Petersburg during their Europa League round of 32 second leg soccer match at Anfield in Liverpool, England, Thursday Feb. 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Clint Hughes)
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Liverpool's Luis Saurez, left, celebrates with team-mate Jordan Henderson, right, after he scored the third goal for his side against Zenit St Petersburg during their Europa League round of 32 second leg soccer match at Anfield in Liverpool, England, Thursday Feb. 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Clint Hughes)
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FILE - In this Monday, Aug. 6, 2012 file photo Amer Hrustanovic of Austria competes against Damian Janikowski of Poland, in blue, during the 84-kg Greco-Roman wrestling competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, in London. An official familiar with the decision says IOC leaders have dropped wrestling from the program for the 2020 Olympics. In a surprise decision Tuesday Feb. 12, 2013, the official tells The Associated Press that the IOC executive board decided to retain modern pentathlon and remove wrestling instead. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
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FILE - This is a Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012 file photo of South Africa's Oscar Pistorius as he reacts after finishing first in a men's 400-meter heat during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London Paralympic superstar Oscar Pistorius was charged Thursday Feb. 14. 2013 with the murder of his girlfriend who was shot inside his home in South Africa, a stunning development in the life of a national hero known as the Blade Runner for his high-tech artificial legs. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File)
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Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius leaves the Boschkop police station, east of Pretoria, South Africa, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013 en route to appear in court charged with murder. Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius was taken into custody and was expected to appear in court Thursday, after a 30-year-old woman who was believed to be his girlfriend was shot dead at his home in South Africa's capital, Pretoria. (AP Photo/Chris Collingridge) SOUTH AFRICA OUT
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CORRECTS THE SPELLING OF REEVA This is an undated portfolio photo supplied by Ice Model Management in Johannesburg of Reeva Steenkamp, during a photo shoot. Paralympic superstar Oscar Pistorius was charged Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013, with the murder of his girlfriend who was shot inside his home in South Africa, a stunning development in the life of a national hero known as the Blade Runner for his high-tech artificial legs. Reeva Steenkamp, a model who spoke out on Twitter against rape and abuse of women, was shot four times in the predawn hours in the home, in a gated community in the capital, Pretoria, police said. (AP Photo/Ice Model Management) EDITORIAL PURPOSE ONLY
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FILE - The Aug. 6, 2012 file photo shows Sayed Abdelmonem Hamed of Egypt competing against Zaur Kuramagomedov of Russia (in blue) during the 60-kg Greco-Roman wrestling competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. IOC leaders have dropped wrestling for the 2020 Games in a surprise decision to scrap one of the oldest sports on the Olympic program. The IOC executive board decided Tuesday, Feb. 12, 1013 to retain modern pentathlon — the event considered most at risk — and remove wrestling instead from its list of core sports. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
India hopeful of getting back into Olympic fold
NEW DELHI (
AP) — A top Indian government officer hopes to meet
International Olympic Committee officials at its headquarters in Switzerland next month in a bid to end the suspension placed upon the
Indian Olympic Association.
"I'm in touch with IOA officials who have been corresponding with the IOC and am hoping to finalize the dates of our meetings in April," India's sports secretary P.K.Deb told The Associated Press on Friday. "We are hopeful things will be sorted out soon."
"They'd wanted the meetings in March but that might be difficult since our minister (Jitender Singh) will be busy in the ongoing Parliament session til March-end."
The IOA was suspended after it went ahead with elections on Dec.5 despite the world body declaring them "null and void."
The IOC has since been corresponding only with IOA's former acting president Vijay Kumar Malhotra and former secretary-general Randhir Singh while making it clear that only fresh elections could bring India back into the Olympic fold.
The IOC had asked the IOA to adhere to its own constitution and not follow a government sports code. But the IOA went ahead with the election process, citing a Delhi High Court order that said the polls should be in line with the code.
The IOC's ethics commission had also advised that tainted officials shouldn't hold administrative posts, but Lalit Bhanot was declared elected unopposed as the new secretary-general despite spending 11 months in jail for corruption cases related to the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
Suresh Kalmadi, who headed the IOA for 16 years, decided not to seek re-election after graft charges relating to the Commonwealth Games but backed new president Abhey Chautala and Bhanot.
An Olympic ban means a national federation is not eligible for funding from the IOC. Officials from the suspended federation can't attend meetings and athletes can compete only under the Olympic flag.
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international olympic committee, ap, ioc, indian olympic association, ioa, vijay kumar malhotra, 2008 summer olympics, olympic games, culture_politics, bid, france, india, sports, suspension, friday, switzerland, president, associated press, new delhi, fresh elections, world body, headquarters, acting, invitation, international, olympic fold, olympic committee officials, secretary-general randhir singh, secretary p.k. deb, indian government officer, hopeful things
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