Ten athletes, including PV Sindhu, Mirabai Chanu, Harmanpreet Singh and Salima Tete, were declared elected unopposed to the Indian Olympic Association’s Athletes’ Commission for 2026-2030 after two candidates withdrew, leaving exactly one candidate for each of the ten places on offer.
New Delhi, India: The Indian Olympic Association’s Athletes’ Commission was decided without a vote on Tuesday. Returning Officer Sanjay K Srivastava declared ten sportspersons elected after the poll, scheduled for 3 November in virtual mode, was found to have exactly one candidate for each seat.
Two withdrawals clear the field
Former track and field athlete Sudha Singh withdrew late on Monday night, and shuttler Kidambi Srikanth had pulled out earlier the same day. That left five men and five women contesting ten places, and Srivastava ruled that voting would serve no purpose. An electoral college of 34 members, two from each of 17 national sports federations, had been listed on 16 October, but it was not needed.
The ten members
The men elected are Harmanpreet Singh (hockey), Sajan Prakash (swimming), Tajinderpal Singh Toor (shot put), Swapnil Kusale (shooting) and Manjeet Singh (kayaking and canoeing). The women are PV Sindhu (badminton), Mirabai Chanu (weightlifting), Salima Tete (hockey), Bhavani Devi (fencing) and Bombayla Devi (archery).
Six places are reserved for athletes who competed at one of the last three Olympics: Harmanpreet, Sajan and Toor among the men, and Sindhu, Chanu and Bombayla among the women. The other four are for medallists at major multi-sport or world-level events, and went to Manjeet and Kusale and to Salima and Bhavani. Sindhu, Chanu and Bhavani all served on the outgoing commission, which was headed by MC Mary Kom. Sindhu’s election follows the HYLO Open title she won on 1 November, and Harmanpreet captains the hockey team that went unbeaten through the league stage of the Asian Champions Trophy.
What the commission decides next
The commission’s chairperson and vice-chairperson, one man and one woman, will join the IOA Executive Council, and two more members, again one man and one woman, will take voting seats on the IOA General Body. Elections for those four posts will be held at a later date. The IOA Executive Council elections follow on 5 December, where the commission’s two General Body representatives will vote.
