Indian Olympic Association | PT Usha becomes first woman president of Indian Olympic Association
New Delhi. Legendary sprinter PT Usha was on Saturday elected the first woman president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), ushering in a new era in Indian sports administration. The 58-year-old Usha, who won multiple medals at the Asian Games and finished fourth in the 400m hurdles at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, was declared elected unopposed to the top post after the elections. The elections were conducted under the supervision of Nageswara Rao, a former judge appointed by the Supreme Court.
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The election of Usha as the President also ended the crisis caused by factional politics in the IOA. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had earlier this month threatened to suspend the IOA if it did not hold elections. These elections were to be held in December 2021. Usha’s election to the top post was finalized last month as she was the only candidate to file nomination for the post of president. None opposed Usha, who was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in July.
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Two-time Olympic medalist shuttler PV Sindhu, a member of the IOA’s Athletes’ Commission, congratulated Usha on her historic appointment. Sindhu told reporters, “First of all I would like to congratulate ma’am (Usha). He himself is a legend in athletics. He is also an MP now and so I think it is something new to the game right now. She will definitely do well and I wish her all the best. It is really a good thing (for the first time a woman becomes IOA president) because she will understand the needs of other players, it will help them. And she will take it to a different level. I am very happy and am sure that the sport will take it to the next level.” Ajay Patel of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) was elected unopposed as senior vice-president.
Olympic medalist shooter Gagan Narang and Rowing Federation of India president Rajalakshmi Singh Deo were elected unopposed as vice-presidents. Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) president Sahdev Yadav was elected as the treasurer while All India Football Federation president and former goalkeeper Kalyan Choubey became the new joint secretary (men) unopposed. Alaknanda Ashok of the Badminton Association of India (BAI) was elected joint secretary (women) among three candidates. Shalini Thakur Chawla and Suman Kaushik were also in the race for the post.
Usha, popularly known as ‘Payyoli Express’ and ‘Udan Pari’, was seen as a candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party. She is the first Olympian and the first international medalist to become the president in the IOA’s 95-year history. With this, another achievement has been added to his achievements. Usha dominated Indian and Asian athletics for two decades before retiring in 2000. Usha is the first player to represent the country. Along with this, she is also the first player after Maharaja Yadvendra Singh to become the IOA chief.
Yadvendra Singh played a Test match in 1934. He was the President of IOA from 1938 to 1960. Olympic medalist wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt and archer Dola Banerjee join the executive council as the male and female representatives of the eight Exceptional Sportsmen (SOM). Bhupendra Singh Bajwa, Amitabh Sharma, Harpal Singh and Rohit Rajpal have also been elected to the Executive Council which is quite different than before. At least five of the 14 members of the Executive Council (including IOC member in India Nita Ambani) are former sportspersons, which is unprecedented in the history of the IOA. Legendary boxer MC Mary Kom and legendary table tennis player Achanta Sharath Kamal are also part of the executive council, being the chairman and vice-chairman of the Sports Commission.
