Veteran PT Usha will likely be formally elected the primary girl president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) through the governing physique elections on Saturday, ushering in a brand new period within the nation’s sports activities administration.
The 58-year-old Usha, a number of Asian Games gold medalist and fourth-place finisher within the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics 400m hurdles closing, will likely be declared elected unopposed to the highest submit within the elections to be supervised by the Supreme Court. Retired SC Justice L Nageswara Rao.
Usha’s elevation to the highest submit can even finish a long-standing disaster within the faction-ridden IOA, which was warned of a doable suspension by the International Olympic Committee if the elections initially scheduled for December final 12 months weren’t held Huh. this month.
Elections will likely be held to elect Joint Secretary (Women) and 4 basic members of the Executive Council and 77 members of the Electoral College. Alaknanda Ashok of Badminton Association of India and Suman Kaushik of Netball Federation of India are in a direct battle for the submit of Joint Secretary (Women).
Four of the eight candidates within the fray will select the members of the Executive Council.
The eight candidates are Amitabh Sharma, Bhupender Singh Bajwa, Cyrus Poncha, Harjinder Singh, Harpal Singh, Parminder Singh Dhindsa, Rohit Rajpal and Vitthal Shirgaonkar.
This will likely be a very new accountability for the long-lasting observe and subject star Usha, as she has no expertise of working in any high place earlier than. She is at present the Chairperson of the Junior Selection Committee of the Athletics Federation of India. She has additionally been on varied National Award committees arrange by the federal government over time.
Usha, often called the ‘Payyoli Express’, is being seen because the candidate of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which nominated her as a Rajya Sabha member in July. She can even turn out to be the primary Olympian and the primary worldwide medalist to steer the IOA in its 95-year historical past, including one other feather to her cap after dominating Indian and Asian athletics for twenty years earlier than retiring in 2000.
Usha is the primary participant to signify the nation and in addition grew to become the IOA chief since Maharaja Yadwinder Singh in 1934 to play a Test match. Singh was the third IOA president, holding the place from 1938 to 1960.
Ajay Patel of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) will likely be elected unopposed because the Senior Vice President. Olympic medalist shooter Gagan Narang and Rowing Federation of India president Rajalakshmi Singh Deo can even be elected unopposed to the submit of vice-presidents.
Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) president Sahdev Yadav would be the treasurer as he’s the one candidate for the submit. All India Football Federation president and former goalkeeper Kalyan Choubey will likely be elected unopposed as joint secretary (males). Olympic medalist wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt and archer Dola Banerjee will likely be on the chief council because the female and male representatives of eight Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM).
One candidate for Vice President (Women) and 4 candidates for Executive Council members had earlier withdrawn from the fray. High-profile politicians reminiscent of Union Minister Arjun Munda, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh are anticipated to forged their votes. Apart from Usha, Gagan Narang, Yogeshwar Dutt, among the nation’s high sportspersons, former and current, like Sakshi Malik, PV Sindhu, MM Somaya and Akhil Kumar can even vote.
The new government council can even be fairly totally different from what it was earlier than. At least 5 of the 14 Executive Council members (together with the IOC member in India, Nita Ambani), will likely be former sportspersons, which is unprecedented within the historical past of the IOA.
Only the likes of Sahdev Yadav and Rajlaxmi Singh Deo have retained the highest submit from the sooner IOA Executive Council. The IOA adopted the brand new structure drafted by Justice Rao on 10 November after getting approval from the worldwide committee. The 77-strong electoral school consists of 66 members from 33 nationwide sports activities federations, who nominate one man and one girl, eight SOMs (4 males and 4 ladies), two from the Athletes’ Commission (one man and one girl) and IOC members. Huh. India, Nita Ambani.
The IOA electoral school additionally has extra ladies members (39) than males (38). The IOA elections had been to be held in December final 12 months, however couldn’t be held attributable to a pending case within the Delhi High Court, the place a petition was filed, in search of its approval earlier than holding elections to align it with the National Sports Code. There was a requirement for modification of the structure.
The Supreme Court later appointed Justice (retd) Rao to draft the structure and conduct elections. On Tuesday, the IOC famous the “significant progress” made by the IOA in resolving its governance points, however stated it can maintain off on withdrawing the ban warning till the election course of is full. Will not
With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
