NEW DELHI — India's sports chiefs began last-ditch efforts Monday to prevent the country from being suspended from the Olympic movement, but stuck to their stand of electing tainted officials. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) executive board, which meets in Lausanne on Dec. 4 and 5, will decide if India should be suspended for flouting the Olympic charter in its election process. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) had been directed by a Delhi court to hold elections according to the government's sports code, while the IOC wanted it to abide by the Olympic charter that favors autonomy. Elections to the faction-ridden IOA are due to be held on Dec. 5, but have become a formality after a rival group led by IOC member Randhir Singh withdrew from the contest last month. It left tainted sports official Lalit Bhanot elected unopposed as the IOA's secretary-general, while Haryana state politician Abhey Singh Chautala was set to take over as president. Bhanot is out on bail after being held in custody for 11 months last year over corruption charges during the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi when he was secretary-general of the organising committee. The IOC Ethics Commission had in October warned the Indian body against fielding either Bhanot or former IOA chief Suresh Kalmadi — who is also on bail over corruption charges. Suspension from IOC membership would mean India would not receive IOC funding and its officials would be banned from attending Olympic meetings and events. India's athletes would also be barred from competing in the Olympics under the national flag, although the IOC could allow some to take part under the Olympic flag. Doping, ethics cases top agenda for IOC board Four months after the highs of the London Olympics, the IOC is turning to less uplifting matters: drug-tainted medals from past games, ethics violations in ticket sales and suspension of national Olympic bodies. The fate of Lance Armstrong's bronze medal from the 2000 Sydney Games and doping cases involving five medalists from the 2004 Athens Olympics are high on the agenda for the IOC's two-day executive board meeting starting Tuesday in Lausanne. Also on the table are proposed sanctions against Olympic officials and ticket agents accused of unauthorized sale of London tickets. The IOC board also will receive reports on preparations for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, and 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. With concerns mounting about the state of progress in Rio, the IOC will be looking for assurances that the first Olympics in South America are on track. Doping issues will be at the forefront of the meetings, which have been moved to a Lausanne hotel because the International Olympic Committee headquarters are still being repaired after flood damage caused by a burst water main. Five doping tests from 2004 came back positive earlier this year when the IOC reanalyzed about 100 Athens samples to catch any drug cheats who had avoided detection. The IOC held disciplinary hearings for the five East European athletes — all medalists — over the weekend, and will now consider disqualifying them and removing the medals. In 2004, the Athens Games produced a record 26 doping cases and six medalists — including two gold winners — were caught. Since Athens, the IOC has been storing doping samples from each Olympics for eight years to allow for retesting when new detection methods become available. — Agencies
