IOC suspends India over political interference

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LAUSANNE, Switzerland — The IOC suspended India’s national Olympic committee on Tuesday because of government interference in its election process, a major embarrassment for the world’s second most populous nation.

LAUSANNE, Switzerland — The IOC suspended India’s national Olympic committee on Tuesday because of government interference in its election process, a major embarrassment for the world’s second most populous nation.

After months of warnings, the IOC executive board imposed the sanction when the Indian Olympic Association failed to comply with the world body’s demands for holding independent elections.

The decision, first reported by The Associated Press, was announced at an IOC news conference after the executive board’s first day of a two-day meeting in Lausanne.

IOC spokesman Mark Adams said India was suspended “due to its failure to comply with the Olympic Charter and its statutes and failure to inform the IOC in a timely manner.”

Under the suspension, the Indian body will stop receiving IOC funding and its officials will be banned from attending Olympic meetings and events.