India’s Olympic Reinstatement Hopes Boosted after Ramachandran Becomes IOA President

India’s suspended Olympic body elected world squash chief N. Ramachandran as its president on Sunday, raising hopes of the country’s return to the Olympic fold after a 14-month absence.

Ramachandran, whose elder brother N. Srinivasan was on Saturday picked to lead the International Cricket Council, was an unanimous choice for president in the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) elections in New Delhi.

Also elected unopposed were sports official Rajeev Mehta as secretary-general and the country’s tennis chief, Anil Khanna, as treasurer, the IOA announced after the general body meeting. Ramachandran, who made an unsuccessful bid last year to get squash into the Olympic Games, served as the IOA treasurer from 2008 to 2012 and has been president of the World Squash Federation since 2008.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) froze India’s membership in December 2012 and suspended it from the Games movement when the IOA elected a number of tainted officials to key posts.

Representatives from the IOC were present at Sunday’s elections, but it was unclear when India’s ban will be lifted. The polls, which came two days after the start of the Winter Olympics, denied India’s three competitors in Sochi the opportunity to carry the Indian flag at the opening ceremony.

“We will be be back soon. In fact, our flag could even be raised at the closing ceremony in Sochi (February 23),” Malhotra told reporters.