diff --git a/lib_com/ivas_prot.h b/lib_com/ivas_prot.h
index 2a79bf8afecc581a35b3cf654232228e69f41127..949a30fdbc73bac1b2bb817b1521c2881f09c72c 100644
--- a/lib_com/ivas_prot.h
+++ b/lib_com/ivas_prot.h
@@ -4381,7 +4381,7 @@ void ivas_spar_dec_upmixer_sf(
     float *output[],                                            /* o  : output audio channels                   */
     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             */
@@ -4389,6 +4389,7 @@ void ivas_spar_dec_upmixer(
     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 bc27dc91b0d09ca43f096d99fde2d71c3bfbc633..2104c7d8b49760d7c1be7cf6b510b6e50ae8a6e1 100644
--- a/lib_com/options.h
+++ b/lib_com/options.h
@@ -221,6 +221,7 @@
 #define NONBE_FIX_986_MC_BW_SWITCHING                   /* FhG: fix crash in bw and br switching with MC */
 #define NONBE_FIX_1000_G1_G2_SWB_TBE                    /* VA: issue 1000: avoid div by zero due to g1 + g2 being zero in SWB TBE */
 #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() */
 
 /* #################### End BASOP porting switches ############################ */
 
diff --git a/lib_dec/ivas_spar_decoder.c b/lib_dec/ivas_spar_decoder.c
index f914993a5ac2a7401cd1fe6fada4211cef569f79..7f166cdbbb70cf16ea7d7bd77e7090f49d6bfc2c 100644
--- a/lib_dec/ivas_spar_decoder.c
+++ b/lib_dec/ivas_spar_decoder.c
@@ -1251,11 +1251,19 @@ void ivas_spar_dec_set_render_map(
 }
 
 
+#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                     */
@@ -1362,6 +1370,7 @@ void ivas_spar_dec_digest_tc(
     return;
 }
 
+#ifndef FIX_997_REMOVE_SPAR_DEC_UPMIXER
 
 /*-------------------------------------------------------------------*
  * ivas_spar_dec_upmixer()
@@ -1488,6 +1497,7 @@ void ivas_spar_dec_upmixer(
     return;
 }
 
+#endif
 
 /*-------------------------------------------------------------------*
  * ivas_spar_dec_upmixer_sf()