The acting president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Thursday pulled out of a meeting with the International Olympics Committee to discuss his country's return to the international fold. Vijay Kumar Malhotra said he would not attend the May 15 meeting at the IOC's Swiss headquarters because of its decision to invite several other Indian sports officials against his wishes.
"As the IOC has changed the script for the Lausanne meeting, I want to inform you that I will not be attending the meeting," Malhotra said in a letter to IOC president Jacques Rogge. The IOA's membership of the IOC was suspended in December after Lalit Bhanot, who is facing corruption charges over the scandal-tainted 2010 Commonwealth Games, was elected as its secretary-general.
Malhotra was subsequently named as acting president of the Indian body pending fresh elections. The suspension of the IOC membership means India does not receive funding from the world body, its officials are banned from attending Olympic events and its athletes are barred from competing in the Olympics under the national flag. India's only IOC member, Randhir Singh, has also pulled out of the meeting, according to the Press Trust of India news agency. "It's an internal matter of the IOC. I will discuss it with the IOC president," Singh was quoted as saying when asked why he would not attend.