The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has categorically stated that it was dealing with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), with Prof. Vijay Kumar Malhotra as the acting president and Randhir Singh as Secretary-General, in responding to a Right To Information (RTI) query sent from Kollam in Kerala.
The Union Sports Ministry stated that the IOA, as recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) did not require any recognition from it, as it was the sole National Olympic Committee (NOC) from the country, even though it was suspended by the IOC in December.
The Ministry also clarified that it had to deal with the IOA, and that only the National Sports Federations needed recognition, as regulated by the National Sports Development Code.