Ring Dispute Puts Indonesia in IOC Hot Water

(ATR) A dispute over the use of the Olympic rings could lead to severe consequences for the Indonesian Olympic Committee.

According to a Reuters report, the country has two sports bodies claiming use of the rings in their logo, leading the IOC to step in.

In 2005, the Indonesia Olympic Committee (KOI) was formed as an offshoot of the Indonesia National Sports Committee (KONI)

KOI is responsible for the athletes participating in the Olympics and Asian Games, while KONI deals with athletes who participate in national sport federations before going off to international competitions.

As the original national Olympic body, KONI continues to use the Olympic rings in its logo despite being no longer recognized by the IOC.

The two groups met on Feb. 16 in Jakarta, Indonesia to discuss the issue with KONI refusing to remove the Olympic rings from their logo.

"In the meeting, we discovered that the Olympic Charter provides opportunity for non-governmental organizations to become members of the IOC," Tono Suratman, KONI chairman, told the Jakarta Globe.

"So for now, we will retain the Olympic rings in our logo as we are not ready to talk about dropping the rings."

Reuters’ report says that IOC involvement could lead to sanctions against the KOI, which could jeopardize the hosting of the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.

The 2018 Asian Games were awarded to Jakarta during the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea after original host Hanoi, Vietnam pulled out for financial reasons.

The IOC declined to comment, telling Around the Rings that IOC member Rita Subowo, the president of KOI, has been "following up on this matter."

Written by Aaron Bauer

Homepage photo: Getty Images

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