PT Usha, Saina Nehwal Among 23 Candidates for Key IOA Sportspersons of Merit Elections
Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha and five Olympic medallists are among 23 former athletes competing for eight Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM) positions. The nominations have been reduced from 27 following scrutiny, with the November 9 election set to play an important role in shaping the IOA’s governing body for the 2026-2030 term.
PT Usha and Five Olympic Medallists in Election Race
The Indian Olympic Association’s Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit elections have attracted several prominent names from Indian sport. The final list of validly nominated candidates includes 12 men and 11 women, who will compete for four positions in each category.
IOA president PT Usha is among the candidates in the women’s category, alongside Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal and World Championships bronze medallist Anju Bobby George.
The five Olympic medallists in the contest are Gagan Narang, Yogeshwar Dutt, Vijender Singh, Surinder Singh Shokar and Saina Nehwal. Their presence adds considerable experience to an election that will determine the representation of former athletes in the national Olympic body’s General Assembly.
The men’s category also features World Athletics vice-president Adille Sumariwalla, former hockey captain Sardar Singh was initially among the nominees but did not make the final list after scrutiny.
Four Candidates Dropped After Nomination Scrutiny
The number of candidates was reduced from 27 to 23 after Electoral Officer Sanjay Kumar Srivastava completed the scrutiny of nomination papers.
Former Indian hockey captain Sardar Singh, badminton player B Sumeeth Reddy and former shot putter Om Prakash Singh Karhana were among the male candidates who failed to make the final list. Sunith Singh was the only female candidate from the initial list who did not qualify.
The final list therefore features 12 male and 11 female candidates competing for eight available positions.
Complete List of 23 Candidates for IOA SOM Elections
The 12 candidates in the men’s category are:
Mansher Singh, Surinder Singh Shokar, Gagan Narang, Morad Ali Khan, Kamlesh Mehta, Sathish Kumar Sivalingam, Yogeshwar Dutt, Ronjan Sodhi, B Sai Praneeth, Achanta Sharath Kamal, Vijender Singh and Adille Sumariwalla.
The 11 candidates in the women’s category are:
Dola Banerjee, Ashwini Nachappa, Chekrovolu Swuro, Neelam Setti Laxmi, PT Usha, Rani Rampal, Ragina Kiro, Saina Nehwal, Trupti Murgunde, Anitha Paul Durai and Anju Bobby George.
Eight Elected Athletes to Join IOA General Assembly
The election is scheduled for November 9, with 80 existing Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit, comprising 40 men and 40 women, eligible to vote.
The voting will take place virtually, with four men and four women to be elected from the 23 candidates. The eight successful candidates will become members of the IOA General Assembly and gain voting rights in the upcoming elections for the association’s Executive Council.
The elected representatives will also have an opportunity to participate in the December 5 elections for the new IOA Executive Council for the 2026-2030 term. Among the eight SOM representatives, one male and one female member will subsequently be elected to the Executive Council.
Candidates have been given November 6 and 7 to withdraw their nominations, following which the final list of contesting candidates will be published on November 7. The election and declaration of results are scheduled for November 9.
With several Olympic medallists and experienced administrators in the contest, the SOM elections are an important step in determining the future leadership and athlete representation within Indian Olympic administration.
