SAINT-PETERSBURG: Pakistan and Ecuador have been threatened with suspension from the Olympic family due to political interference in their national Olympic Committees.

Neither country has been suspended but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) released a statement on Thursday saying they wanted to see changes in both countries to avoid an eventual suspension.

“The EB (Executive Board) noted with great concern that the situation of the Olympic movement in Pakistan has deteriorated due to the creation of a parallel body to the NOC (National Olympic Committee) by a group of federations supported by the government authorities, in particular the Pakistan Sports Board,” said the statement.

“If this parallel body continues to disrupt the operations of the legitimate POA (Pakistan Olympic Association), in particular by organising new elections outside the POA and by preventing the POA from exercising its activities as foreseen by the Olympic charter, Pakistan will be suspended from the Olympic movement with all consequences this implies.”

Ecuador has also come under the microscope due to planned elections in the sports organisations that make up the national Olympic committee.

The IOC is trying to safeguard the elections to ensure they are not manipulated by Government officials.

The IOC previously suspended India last December for Government interference while the situation in Sierra Leone, where the country's sports minister suspended the local Olympic Committee, is under surveillance.