diff --git a/lib_com/ivas_prot.h b/lib_com/ivas_prot.h
index 2d6436e7f841082343ef793a04babaca79d1d244..c34def3824cc2f80f00f627d6d8e654eb7f3e8fe 100755
--- a/lib_com/ivas_prot.h
+++ b/lib_com/ivas_prot.h
@@ -4360,13 +4360,14 @@ void ivas_spar_dec_upmixer_sf(
     const int16_t nchan_internal                                /* i  : number of internal channels             */
 );
 
+#ifndef FIX_997_REMOVE_SPAR_DEC_UPMIXER
 void ivas_spar_dec_upmixer(
     Decoder_Struct *st_ivas,                                    /* i/o: IVAS decoder handle                     */
     float *output[],                                            /* i/o: input/output audio channels             */
     const int16_t nchan_internal,                               /* i  : number of internal channels             */
     const int16_t output_frame                                  /* i  : output frame length                     */
 );
-
+#endif
 /* MD module */
 ivas_error ivas_spar_md_enc_open(
     ivas_spar_md_enc_state_t **hMdEnc,                          /* i/o: SPAR MD encoder handle                  */
diff --git a/lib_com/options.h b/lib_com/options.h
index 250765caee5bb1aa7afbaa969c74d30d4e15eab0..3aa6a2e7ba6daa31810b2a0a9c82e98c9f8d2812 100755
--- a/lib_com/options.h
+++ b/lib_com/options.h
@@ -155,6 +155,7 @@
 
 #define FIX_966_VAR_OVERFLOW_IN_HARM_MODEL_ARI          /* FhG: fix and undef behaviour bug in the harmonic TCX model arithmetic coder */
 #define FIX_699_FILE_READER_JBM_TSM                     /* VA: issue 699: complement FileReader_getFilePath() logic for TSM and JBM */
+#define FIX_997_REMOVE_SPAR_DEC_UPMIXER                 /* VA: issue 997: remove obsolete function ivas_spar_dec_upmixer() */
 
 
 
diff --git a/lib_dec/ivas_spar_decoder.c b/lib_dec/ivas_spar_decoder.c
index 9eddbf7e4dc3bee38396410524abde1b29783576..776f606c4d60042d646d7ac00f93ff30de179d91 100644
--- a/lib_dec/ivas_spar_decoder.c
+++ b/lib_dec/ivas_spar_decoder.c
@@ -1250,12 +1250,19 @@ void ivas_spar_dec_set_render_map(
     return;
 }
 
-
+#ifdef FIX_997_REMOVE_SPAR_DEC_UPMIXER
+/*-------------------------------------------------------------------*
+ * ivas_spar_dec_set_render_params()
+ *
+ * IVAS SPAR set rendering parameters
+ *-------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+#else
 /*-------------------------------------------------------------------*
  * ivas_spar_dec_upmixer()
  *
  * IVAS SPAR upmixer
  *-------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+#endif
 
 void ivas_spar_dec_set_render_params(
     Decoder_Struct *st_ivas,    /* i/o: IVAS decoder handle                     */
@@ -1362,7 +1369,7 @@ void ivas_spar_dec_digest_tc(
     return;
 }
 
-
+#ifndef FIX_997_REMOVE_SPAR_DEC_UPMIXER
 /*-------------------------------------------------------------------*
  * ivas_spar_dec_upmixer()
  *
@@ -1487,7 +1494,7 @@ void ivas_spar_dec_upmixer(
 
     return;
 }
-
+#endif
 
 /*-------------------------------------------------------------------*
  * ivas_spar_dec_upmixer_sf()