Farman, who was in Kathmandu for two days to inspect OCA Project in Nepal, made the statement at a press meet on Friday when asked about the dispute over two contesting Nepal Olympic committees.[break]
´If you want to be in the Olympic Movement, you have to follow the Olympic Charter and follow IOC"s rules and regulations,´ said Farman. ´Otherwise, you are free to walk away and enjoy the law of your land,´ he added.
Farman said that only the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has the right to give recognition to national Olympic committees. ´Even the Supreme Court does not have the right to give recognition to such committees,´ said Farman.
Two different NOCs -- one led by Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan and the other led by Rukma SJB Rana -- have been claiming legitimacy. While the Supreme Court"s verdict of November 4, 2010 recognized the Rana-led committee, IOC has recognized the committee led by Pradhan.
´There is a misunderstanding in Nepal regarding the role of the Olympic Committee and a government agency like National Sports Council,´ said Farman. ´There is only one NOC in Nepal and that is led by Mr Pradhan,´ he stressed.
However, Farman said he is optimistic after his two-day visit. ´We are fortunate that there are responsible people in NOC and NSC. They have a great opportunity to resolve the problem,´ said Farman.
According to IOC-recognized NOC"s President Pradhan, NOC and the government agencies have agreed to exchange official correspondence. ´There are problems regarding the national associations of athletics, karate and others and we have agreed to end all the problems through official correspondence with the international federations of the respective sports,´ said Pradhan.
Meanwhile, National Sports Council (NSC) Member Secretary Yuvaraj Lama told Republica that the meeting with Farman was simply a courtesy meeting. ´We have agreed in principle that OCA could help Nepal end the existence of two national sports associations,´ said Lama. ´I"ve found OCA serious toward ending the problems in Nepal. However, no roadmaps were discussed. It was simply a routine meeting,´ he added.
Earlier at the press meet, Farman applauded the activities of the Pradhan-led NOC. ´I was surprised to see the NOC office building, which the NOC has been constructing under the OCA Project. The amount we had given to the NOC under the project was meager,´ said Farman. He also refuted corruption charges leveled against the Pradhan-led NOC.
He also informed that Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) President Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah would arrive in Nepal to inaugurate the NOC office building.
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