Indian Olympic Association set for governance reset ahead of December polls | Off the field News

NEW DELHI: The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) will convene a Special General Body Meeting (SGBM) on Tuesday to adopt its amended constitution in line with the national sports governance act, 2025, in what is set to be a significant constitutional exercise for the apex Olympic body ahead of its elections, which sees the first four-year term of P T Usha-led executive committee (EC) coming to an end later this year.The SGBM will formally adopt the constitution, paving the way for its eventual ratification by the IOA General Body in the coming months. The exercise assumes significance with the IOA’s current executive term ending in Dec 2026 and elections having to be conducted under the new governance framework.All affiliated national sports federations (NSFs) and State Olympic Associations (SOAs) are expected to attend the meeting, scheduled ahead of the official send-off ceremony for the Indian contingent for the Asian Games on the same day. The meeting will bring together the IOA’s members to discuss and adopt the constitutional provisions required under the new law.The amendments are necessary before the IOA can proceed with its election process. Football, athletics and cycling are among the early NSFs to have already amended their constitutions in line with the Act, sources said.The SGBM will also assume importance in the process of appointing the Returning Officer (RO) for the IOA elections. The constitutional changes need to be adopted and subsequently ratified so that the election machinery can be put in place under the new statutory framework, with the polls required to be held on or before December 10.Selected provisions of the Act came into force on Jan 1, 2026. While several federations have begun aligning their constitutions, some are finding the exercise difficult. A key challenge is the requirement for executive committees to have no more than 15 members, with some federations struggling to restructure their existing bodies accordingly. Others are facing difficulties in identifying Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOMs), while provisions relating to age limits, tenure and cooling-off periods have also emerged as issues.The National Sports Board (NSB), envisaged under the Act, will have the power to grant recognition to or derecognise NSFs. The Indian cricket board (BCCI), too, will ultimately have to fall within the Act’s regulatory ambit. Once the NSB becomes operational and the new framework takes full shape, the BCCI will have to apply for fresh recognition as a national sports body and conduct its elections according to the Act.