| Indian Olympic Association | |
| Size: | 150px |
| Country: | India |
| Code: | IND |
| Created: | [1] |
| Recognized: | 1927 |
| Association: | OCA |
| Headquarters: | New Delhi, India |
| President: | P. T. Usha |
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) or Indian Olympic Committee (IOC) (ISO: Bhāratīya Olaṃpika Saṃgha) is responsible for selecting athletes to represent India at the Olympic Games, Asian Games and other international sports competitions, and managing Indian teams at these events. It goes with the name of Team India. It also acts as the Indian Commonwealth Games Association, responsible for selecting athletes to represent India at the Commonwealth Games.[2]
The background behind the creation of the Indian Olympic Association was related to India's participation in the 1920 and 1924 Olympics. After the 1920 Games, the committee sending the team to these games met, and, on the advice of Sir Dorab Tata, invited Dr. Noehren (Physical Education Director of YMCA India) to be secretary, along with AS Bhagwat, of the provisional Indian Olympic Committee; Dorab Tata would serve as its president. Subsequently, in 1923–24, a provisional All India Olympic Committee was formed, and the All India Olympic Games (that later became the National Games of India) were held in Feb 1924. Eight athletes from these games were selected to represent India at the 1924 Paris Olympics, accompanied by manager Harry Crowe Buck. This gave impetus to the development and institutionalization of sports in India, and, in 1927, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), was created at the initiative of Harry Crowe Buck and Dr. A. G. Noehren (both of the Madras (YMCA) College of Physical Education).[3] Sir Dorab Tata was important in financing and supporting the movement and became the first Indian Olympic Association president in 1927. Messrs Buck and Noehren travelled across India and helped many states organise their Olympic associations. Noehren was the first Secretary and G. D. Sondhi was the first assistant secretary of the Indian Olympic Association, and after Noehren resigned in 1938, Sondhi and S.M. Moinul Haq became the secretary and joint secretary of the Indian Olympic Association.
The Indian Olympic Association was formed in 1927, and since that year was officially recognised by the International Olympic Committee as India's national Olympic organisation. In 1928, Maharaja Bhupindra Singh took over as Indian Olympic Association president.[4]
Early tasks:
Illustrating this, IOA President Yadavindra Singh's appeal for funding in 1948 stated: "We need about 3 lakh of rupees to finance" the Indian Olympic team for the London Olympics; that "the youth taking part in these games become ambassadors of goodwill" for India; and that "careful selection, intensive training and proper equipment is most essential" to field a competitive team, but that the Indian Olympic Association is "greatly handicapped for want of sufficient funds" for these tasks.[5]
The Indian Olympic Association thus undertook wider outreach with several national sports federations, and essentially became a clearing house that coordinated the sending of multiple sports teams – each selected by their respective sports federations – to the Olympics.
Following is the IOA executive committee for the 2022–2026 term.[6]
| Designation | Name | National sports federation / State olympic committee |
|---|---|---|
| President | Athletes Commission of the IOA | |
| Senior Vice-President | National Rifle Association of India | |
| Vice-Presidents | Rajlaxmi Singh Deo | Rowing Federation of India |
| Athletes Commission of the IOA | ||
| Treasurer | Sahdev Yadav | Indian Weightlifting Federation |
| Joint Secretaries | All India Football Federation | |
| Alaknanda Ashok | Badminton Association of India | |
| Executive Council Members | Amitabh Sharma | Ice Skating Association of India |
| Bhupender Singh Bajwa | Wushu Association of India | |
| Lt. Gen. Harpal Singh | Indian Golf Union | |
| Athletes Commission of the IOA | ||
| Athletes Commission of the IOA | ||
| Athletes Commission of the IOA | ||
| Athletes' Commission Members | ||
National sports federations are categorized in two categories i.e. Olympic Sports and Other Recognized Sports
The IOC's membership currently includes 38 National Sports Federations.[7]
These all sports are under the Winter Games Federation of India.
| Sport | National Federation | |
|---|---|---|
| Ice Hockey | Ice Hockey Association of India | |
| Ice Skating | Ice Skating Association of India | |
| Luge | Luge Federation of India | |
| Skiing | Ski and Snowboard India |
| Sport | National Federation | |
|---|---|---|
| Aero Club of India | ||
| Bandy Federation of India | ||
| Amateur Baseball Federation of India | ||
| Bocce Association of India | ||
| Pétanque Federation of India | ||
| Bowling Federation of India | ||
| Bridge Federation of India | ||
| Billiards and Snooker Federation of India | ||
| All India Chess Federation | ||
| Board of Control for Cricket in India | ||
| All India DanceSport Federation | ||
| Indian Floorball Federation | ||
| Karate India Organisation | ||
| India Korfball Committee | ||
| Rashtriya Life Saving Society | ||
| Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India | ||
| Indian Mountaineering Foundation | ||
| Netball Federation of India | ||
| Orienteering Federation of India | ||
| All India Pelota Vasca Federation | ||
| Indian Polo Association | ||
| Yachting Association of India | ||
| Racquetball Association of India | ||
| Roller Skating Federation of India | ||
| Softball Association of India | ||
| Squash Rackets Federation of India | ||
| Indian Sumo Wrestling Association | ||
| Surfing Federation of India | ||
| Tug of War Federation of India | ||
| Underwater Sports Association India | ||
| Wakeboard & Water Ski Federation of India | ||
| Wushu Association of India |
Following are some sports which IOC does not recognise as a Sport.
| Sport | National Federation | |
|---|---|---|
| Indian Arm Wrestling Federation | ||
| Atya Patya Federation of India | ||
| Ball Badminton Federation of India | ||
| Indian Ball Hockey Federation | ||
| Indian Body Builders Federation | ||
| All-India Carrom Federation | ||
| All Indian Darts Association | ||
| Esports Federation of India | ||
| All India Game Fishing Association | ||
| Fistball Federation of India | ||
| Floor Tennis Federation of India | ||
| All India Football Federation | ||
| Ju-jitsu Association of India | ||
| Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India | ||
| Kho Kho Federation of India | ||
| Mallakhamb Federation of India | ||
| Indian Pencak Silat Federation | ||
| Indian Powerlifting Federation | ||
| Indian Rope Skipping Federation | ||
| Petanque India Association | ||
| Roll Ball Federation of India | ||
| Sepak Takraw Federation of India | ||
| Roll Ball Federation of India | ||
| Amateur Soft Tennis Federation of India | ||
| Tenni Koit Federation of India | ||
| Yachting Association of India |
The IOA debuted a new logo and new campaign tag #EkIndiaTeamIndia in 2020, this was celebrated on India's independence day 15 August 2020.[8] The previous logo was created in 1924 at the inception of the IOA, the logo emphasized the Star of India. Through symbols of the Tiraṅgā the new logo celebrates the pride, dignity and lifetime of determined hard work given by India's finest athletes.[9] The logo was created by Smitten an international design firm founded in Chennai by Smita Rajgopal.[10] [11]
From 2016, Olympic medallists and their coaches have been given advance consideration for the National Sports Awards if they have not already received one.[12]
As of 2021, the Indian Olympic Association recognises Olympic medallists with the following cash prizes: for gold medallists, for silver and for bronze. Coaches of Olympic medallists receive, and, respectively.[13]
Olympic medallists are rewarded by the Government of India with the following cash prizes as of 2021: for gold medallists, for silver and for bronze.
At the state/territorial level, Olympians receive cash awards of various amounts, depending on their home region.
| State/Union Territory | Gold medal | Silver medal | Bronze medal | Olympic qualifier | Coach of gold medallist | Coach of silver medallist | Coach of bronze medallist | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andhra Pradesh | - | - | - | [14] [15] | ||||
| Assam | [16] | |||||||
| Chandigarh | - | - | - | - | [17] | |||
| Chhattisgarh | - | - | - | - | ||||
| Delhi | - | - | - | - | ||||
| Goa | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Gujarat | - | - | - | - | - | [18] | ||
| Haryana | - | - | - | [19] | ||||
| Himachal Pradesh | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Jammu and Kashmir | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Jharkhand | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Karnataka | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Kerala | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Maharashtra | - | - | - | - | [20] | |||
| Manipur | - | - | - | - | [21] | |||
| Meghalaya | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Odisha | - | - | - | - | ||||
| Punjab | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| Rajasthan | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Sikkim | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Tamil Nadu | - | - | - | [22] | ||||
| Telangana | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Uttarakhand | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Uttar Pradesh | - | - | - | - | ||||
| West Bengal | - | - | - | - | ||||
The following is a list of presidents of IOA:
| S.No. | Name | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1927–1928 | ||
| 2 | 1928–1938 | ||
| 3 | 1938–1960 | ||
| 4 | 1960–1975 | ||
| 5 | 1975–1980 | ||
| 6 | 1980–1984 | ||
| 7 | 1984–1987 | ||
| 8 | 1987–1996 | ||
| 9 | 1996–2011 | ||
| – | Vijay Kumar Malhotra (acting) | 26 April 2011 – 5 December 2012 | |
| 10 | 5 December 2012 – 9 February 2014 | ||
| 11 | 9 February 2014 – 14 December 2017 | ||
| 12 | 14 December 2017 – 25 May 2022 | ||
| – | Anil Khanna (acting) | 25 May 2022 – 21 August 2022 | |
| – | Adille Sumariwalla (acting) | 27 August 2022 – 10 December 2022 | |
| 13 | P. T. Usha[23] [24] | 10 December 2022 – Incumbent |
The following is a list of Secretaries of IOA:
| S. No. | Name | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | A. G. Noehren | 1927–1938 | |
| 2. | 1938–1952 | ||
| 3. | 1952–1956 | ||
| 4. | Ashwini Kumar | 1956–1960 | |
| 5. | 1960–1970 | ||
| 6. | Ashwini Kumar | 1970–1974 | |
| 7. | J. C. Paliwal | 1974–1975 | |
| 8. | Air Vice Marshal C. L. Mehta | 1976–1986 | |
| 9. | 1986–1987 | ||
| 10. | 1987–2012 | ||
| 11. | Lalit Bhanot | 2012–2014 | |
| 12. | Rajeev Mehta | 2014–2022 |
On 26 April 2011, after the arrest of its president Suresh Kalmadi, Vijay Kumar Malhotra was the acting president of the IOA up to 5 December 2012.[25] The election of Lalit Bhanot as Secretary General was considered controversial by some due to his alleged involvement in the Commonwealth Games Scam.[26]
On 4 December 2012, the International Olympic Committee suspended the IOA on the basis of corruption, government interference, and not following guidelines of the IOC. Several members of the IOA have been charged with crimes.[27] [28] The IOA was formally banned for not following the Olympic Charter in their elections, instead following the Indian government's Sports Code. The IOA held elections under the Indian Sports Code due to a directive from the Delhi High Court.[29] On 15 May 2013, International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to lift the ban on the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) as Indian representatives from the government and sports bodies reached an agreement with IOC officials.[30] India still did not have its three competitors play under the national flag at the Winter 2014 Olympics. On 9 February, an election was held to choose a head of the IOA. Abhay Singh Chautala and Lalit Bhanot were ineligible due to having court charges against them. With the support of Abhay Singh Chautala, the president of the World Squash Federation, Narayana Ramachandran, was instead elected.[31]
On 11 February 2014, the International Olympic Committee revoked the ban enforced on Indian Olympic Association. As a result, India returned to the Olympic fold after 14-months.[32]