Nita Ambani was on Friday, 3rd June 2016 nominated, among a total of 8 natural persons, to be a member of the prestigious International Olympics Committee. If elected in the upcoming 129th IOC Session in August, she will become the first woman from India to be conferred with the honor.
Media Suggestions
Sachin Tendulkar and Vishwanath Anand were the first names to be suggested by the media who could possibly spearhead India’s Olympics contingency mostly because they themselves are the masters of their individual sport. However, one important thing to consider here is that although they have radiant experience in actually playing the sport, when it comes to counsel and diplomacy and administration, things may take a backseat.
Nita Ambani has in the past led a cricket team, Mumbai Indians, in the Indian Premiere League (IPL), and has also promoted the Indian Super League (ISL), which was wrapped up earlier in 2016.
IOC – An Autonomous Authority
It is a widely known fact that the Olympics Committee is a not-for-profit independent international organization which gives equal rights to all participating countries. That is why when it came to member election, they proposed selecting four women and four men from developing countries. One should understand that the nominated members hail from different backgrounds.
While one of these members is a film producer, another one is President of a bank. Moreover, in IOC’s defense, these personalities were selected based on a variety of new guidelines, and they represent a cross-section of expertise from the worlds of sport, culture, medicine, sociology, business, law, and management along with evident assurance of gender equality.
Nita Ambani’s Role as an IOC Member
If elected, Nita Ambani will serve as India’s representative for a period of 8 years, after which her membership may be renewed. She will meet with other members at the general assembly or Session, which is the organization’s supreme organ. Currently standing at 99, the members of the IOC are responsible for decisions taken during the Sessions, which generally happen every year.
According to the Olympics Charter 2013, Rule 16, “Members of the IOC represent and promote the interests of the IOC and of the Olympic Movement in their countries and in the organizations of the Olympic Movement in which they serve.” Throughout her tenure her services will be documented, which will help her in the future to become an honorary member of the IOC if she chooses to retire after serving for 10 years.
