IOA and Ministry should work together: Randhir

New Delhi: The contentious issue of tenure limitation guidelines sorted out for the time being, Indian

Olympic Association Secretary General Randhir Singh today said the IOA and the Sports Ministry need to work together for the sake of country`s image. The matter was "resolved" at the Sports Ministry`s meeting with the International Olympic Committee earlier this month and Randhir said it is high time the two bodies move on. "We had a very good meeting at Lausanne (Switzerland). The IOC made it very clear that the autonomy of the National Olympic Committees cannot be infringed. The IOC`s constitution has to be respected and they would be monitoring the situation in India," Randhir told reporters here. Asked whether it means the guidelines which limit the tenure of IOA and National Sports Federation office-bearers would not be implemented at all, Randhir said, "It`s upto the Ministry now. The IOC is very clear, they cannot infringe on our autonomy by limiting tenures. "I think the the NOCs and the government should work together," he added. Randhir refused to call it a triumph for the IOA, saying, "There is no victory or defeat in this matter. I don`t understand why we are unnecessarily playing with the country`s image." The turf war that followed the announcement of the guidelines put India`s Olympic status in jeopardy with the IOC threatening to de-recognise the country if the ministry`s regulations were implemented. Randhir said despite the furore that has been caused, the IOA remains firm on issue and will not back down. "It is not a question of compromise. It is a question of autonomy. It`s simple our autonomy cannot be infringed, it has to be respected," he asserted. PTI