The International Olympic Committee (IOC) lifted the suspension of the Indian Olympic Association after an ad-hoc meeting of its Executive Board in Sochi on Tuesday.
The decision was made on the basis of a report from the IOC delegation, headed by its member Robin Mitchell, which attended the Annual General Meeting of the IOA and witnessed the election on Sunday.
Positive report
Flying straight to Russia from Delhi, the IOC delegation gave a positive report, saying the election was held as per the revised IOA Constitution.
It complied with all IOC requirements, including the one that bans ''charge-framed'' persons from the contest.
The IOC noted in a statement that it was for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games that the suspension of a national Olympic committee was being lifted during the Olympics.
To symbolically mark India’s re-entry into the IOC and in token of recognition of the three Indian athletes competing in the Winter Olympics in Sochi — including luger Shiva Keshavan in his fifth Olympics — it was announced that the Indian flag would be raised at the Olympic Village.
The Indian contingent, which marched with the Olympic flag during the opening ceremony, would be able to sport the tri-colour at the closing ceremony.