Days after plea, national body updates Chandigarh Olympic Association details online

Days after 19 local sports associations urged the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to furnish the latest office bearers details of the controversial Chandigarh Olympic Association (COA) on its website, the national body has updated the information.

The development assumes significance considering past controversies. Two factions of the COA, staking claims over the association, had in 2021 conducted parallel elections. The IOA had at the time appointed the same observer for both elections. The newly elected house split further. The crisis deepened further when the IOA website mentioned the newly elected office bearers as the official unit.

The website now claims COA as one of the state Olympic associations (associate member) headed by an “administrator” (as per a Punjab and Haryana High Court Order dated January 17, 2025, in CWP No 15045 of 2021).

In January this year, the court of Justice Kuldeep Tiwari had ordered fresh election to the association and directed the Chandigarh Deputy Commissioner to appoint an “administrator”. Hari Kallikkat was appointed to the post. He further put in place two officials to conduct the elections.

In their plea, the local sporting associations had argued, “Besides the court’s proceedings, the tenure of the previous house ended in the month of March. However, till date, the IOA considers the previous office bearers (president, secretary and others) as the official members of the national body. We request the IOA to follow the court orders, and update the details of COA unit for the welfare of the local sports fraternity,” stated the letter submitted last month.

Chandigarh