Vijender Singh, Gagan Narang among 4 athletes elected unopposed as SOM IOA

Olympic medalists Vijender Singh, Gagan Narang and Yogeshwar Dutt will have a new role in Indian sports administration after being elected unopposed as Athletes of Merit (SOM) by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Saturday. The trio will be joined by former table tennis player Kamlesh Mehta, all four secured their positions without a fight.

The development comes ahead of the IOA’s elections scheduled for December 5, which will determine the composition of its next executive board. Eight former athletes withdrew their nomination from the men’s category, and four candidates remained for the four vacant SOM positions.

Electoral Officer Sanjay Kumar Srivastava confirmed that there would be no need to conduct the scheduled election of male candidates on Monday after the deadline for withdrawal expired at 2pm on Saturday.

The unopposed election gives the quartet of former athletes an important position in the IOA’s decision-making structure. As SOMs, they will become members of the IOA General Assembly and will be able to vote and run for office in the December 5 election.

Yogeshwar Dutt is no stranger to the administrative structure of the IOA. He was part of the outgoing executive council after being selected as a Sportsman of Merit ahead of the 2022 elections. Former archer Dola Banerjee also held a similar position in the previous council.

PT USHA, SAINA FACE COMPETITION FOR WOMEN’S SEATS

While the male candidates secured their positions without a vote, the women’s category will be contested on Monday. Six former athletes remain in the running for four SOM positions after five candidates withdrew their nominations.

The list includes IOA incumbent PT Usha, Olympic medalist Saina Nehwal, World Athletics Championship bronze medalist Anju Bobby George, former archer Dola Banerjee, former Indian women’s hockey captain Rani Rampal and former basketball player Anitha Paul Durai. Elections will take place virtually.

Usha’s candidacy takes on special significance given her position as the current head of the IOA. She was elected president in 2022 after becoming an athlete of merit for the first time. The upcoming vote could once again prove important in shaping the leadership battle within the organization.

The SOM elections have attracted attention as the eight successful candidates will not only become members of the General Assembly, but will also have the opportunity to participate in the Executive Council elections to be held on 5 December. One SOM man and one woman will also become members of the Executive Board.

Controversies also arose around the withdrawal of nominations. Former National Convener of Clean Sports India BVP Rao alleged that some former sportspersons withdrew their candidature due to pressure from the Sports Ministry.

“These ex-champions withdrew their nominations just because of one phone call from the Sports Ministry,” Rao claimed, adding that the remaining candidates stood their ground.

However, a source in the sports ministry denied the allegation and claimed that the ministry had no role in the independently conducted IOA elections and never interfered in the process.

Prominent male athletes who withdrew included table tennis legend Achanta Sharath Kamal, World Athletics vice-president Adille Sumariwalla, former shuttler B Sai Praneeth and shooters Ronjan Sodhi, Mansher Singh and Moraad Ali Khan.

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