NARANG, SINDHU PART OF NEW IOA ATHLETES PANEL
NEW DELHI: In a major step towards athletes having a say in the running of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), the IOA Athletes’ Commission was formed here on Monday with some of the country’s illustrious names in it.
The electoral college of the Athletes’ Commission consisted of 42 athletes nominated by 36 National Sports Federations. The withdrawal of 32 athletes by noon left exactly the number required to fill the 10 posts in the body. After examining the criteria as per the IOA charter, the names of those who made it unopposed was announced by Returning Officer (RO) Umesh Sinha. As mandated in the newly amended IOA constitution, the commission has equal representation of male and female athletes. Olympic champion shooter Abhinav Bindra and former hockey captain Sardar Singh, India representative in the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Athletes Commission and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Athletes Commission respectively, are ex-officio members with voting rights. A chair and vice-chair will be named.
The Athletes Commission will have its representative in the IOA executive body and various committees. It will act as a link between athletes and IOA with the aim to ensure that athletes become part of the decisionmaking process. The commission will elect its representatives (a male and female athlete) to the IOA general assembly and executive council. It will also select eight Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM) for the IOA general assembly. They will have voting rights.
“The changes that are being brought about are most welcome by all the sportspersons here. The prominent names of Indian sports, Olympic medallists, are part of the commission who are coming forward to serve all the athletes,” table tennis ace Achanta Sharath Kamal, who is part of the commission, said.
Double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, who is a member, described it as a significant move. “It was very important for athletes to get a representation in IOA, get their voices heard,” said the badminton star, who was present on the occasion.
Six-time Winter Olympics luge participant Shiva Keshavan was also part of the Athletes Commission set up in 2019, but there was no real representation of athletes within IOA then. He said the new IOA constitution ushers in much needed reforms that they have been fighting for.
“It is a historic day for sports in India. Athletes have been brought into the heart of IOA; so far, they had been completely excluded,” said Keshavan.
Gopichand favourite for IOA top post
Former All England champion Pullela Gopichand is the frontrunner to become the next IOA president. The elections are scheduled on December 10. Gopichand is the vice-president of the Badminton Association of India. “There is no information as such. We have to wait and see,” Gopichand said.