PT Usha, Olympic Medallists In Fray For IOA SOM Polls
Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha and five Olympic medallists are among 27 former athletes contesting the eight Sportspersons of Merit (SOMs) positions. The elected representatives will become members of the IOA General Assembly and gain voting rights in the December 5 elections for the body’s new Executive Council.
Olympic Medallists Among Male Candidates
The election will see 80 existing SOMs, comprising 40 men and 40 women, vote virtually on November 9. They will elect four men and four women from the list of candidates. Electoral Officer Sanjay Kumar Srivastava will issue separate instructions for the voting process.
Among the 15 male candidates are four Olympic medallists: shooter Gagan Narang, wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, boxer Vijender Singh and former hockey player Surinder Singh Shokar, who was part of India’s 1980 Olympic gold-winning team.
World Athletics vice-president Adille Sumariwalla, hockey player Sardar Singh and table tennis legend Achanta Sharath Kamal are also in the contest.
The other candidates include shooters Mansher Singh, Morad Ali Khan and Ronjan Sodhi, former table tennis player Kamlesh Mehta, weightlifter Sathish Kumar Sivalingam, badminton players B Sai Praneeth and B Sumeeth Reddy, and former shot putter Om Prakash Karhana.
Usha, Saina Nehwal Among Women Candidates
Usha, Olympic medallist shuttler Saina Nehwal and World Championships bronze medallist long jumper Anju Bobby George are among the 12 candidates competing for four women’s SOM positions.
The list also features former archers Dola Banerjee and Chekrovolu Swuro, ex-hockey captain Rani Rampal, former sprinter Ashwini Nachappa, and former badminton player Trupti Murgunde.
Neelam Setti Laxmi from weightlifting, Ragina Kiro from canoeing and kayaking, basketball player Anitha Paul Durai and Sunith Singh are also in the fray. However, Sunith Singh’s nomination has been listed without a seconder, leaving its acceptance subject to the Electoral Officer’s decision.
Usha’s nomination was proposed by former table tennis player A Radhika and seconded by former quarter-miler Lijo David Thottan.
The elected eight SOMs will join the IOA General Assembly and become eligible to vote in the December 5 Executive Council elections. Two SOMs, one man and one woman, will also eventually become members of the Executive Council.
The scrutiny of nominations is scheduled for November 3, while the final list of contesting candidates will be published on November 7.
