NEW DELHI: The International Olympic Committee IOC ) has suspended the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for planning to hold elections under the Indian government’s sports code, dealing a major blow to Indian sports, which was beginning to look up after recent successes at international events including the Olympic Games.The national body was directed by a Delhi High Court recently to hold its elections according to the new sports code laid down by the government but the IOC, to which it is affiliated, opposed the move saying polls can be held only under the global Olympic charter so that the autonomy of the national Olympic bodies remains intact.The suspension will mean that IOA will no longer receive IOC funding and its officials will not be allowed to attend Olympic meetings and events. Indian athletes will also be barred from competing in Olympic events under their national flag, but they can participate under the IOC banner. “The decision exposes the political links in Indian sports and is a wake up call.We hope this will lead to a cleansing of our sports bodies. I hope that the prime minister and other political leaders take note of this unfortunate situation and do something to resolve it,” said Olympian Ashwini Nachappa. “Bye Bye IOA, hope to see u again soon, hopefully cleaner!” said ace shooter Abhinav Bindra on Twitter. Two warring factions within IOA, one headed by secretary general Randhir Singh and the other by Abhay Singh Chautala, the lone presidential candidate of IOA have been contesting the conduct of the elections that was slated for December 5.Chautala is in favour of holding the elections based on the government’s sports code, while Singh is opposed to it. Randhir Singh, the secretary general of IOA said the solution is simple. “I am not interested in fighting for president of IOA. But if I move, so should Chautala.” Immediately after news of the IOC's decision came – much ahead of an official announcement – both Chautala and Singh engaged in a blame game. The official announcement of the matter is expected to be made by IOC by the end of the first day of its executive board’s meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland.The decision has come as a blow to many corporates who have been promoting sports in the country. “We will not be discouraged to make investments in sports, but hope that IOC's revokes its decision,” said Sanjiv Paul, vice-president for corporate services at Tata Steel , a company, which has traditionally promoted various sports, especially in backward areas. The newly appointed sports minister Jitendra Singh told a news channel that all sides had to sit together. “We should be concerned about sportspersons.The government is willing to talk and take corrective measures. We are willing to take the first step,” he said.