PV Sindhu named IOA Athletes Commission chairperson, Harmanpreet deputy

PV Sindhu has been named chairperson of the Indian Olympic Association’s Athletes Commission, with men’s hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh as vice-chairperson. Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu and swimmer Sajan Prakash were also elected unopposed as the athlete representatives to the IOA General Body.

All four were the only candidates for their respective positions and were declared elected unopposed on Friday by Returning Officer Sanjay K Srivastava. The Saturday elections for these posts are no longer needed, and the Returning Officer will only issue the formal notification.

Sindhu and Harmanpreet will join the IOA executive council, which will be constituted after the polls on December 5. Chanu and Sajan can vote in those polls. All four have four-year terms, from 2026 to 2030.

Background and rules

Under the rules, the chairperson and vice-chairperson must be one male and one female, and the same applies to the two General Body representatives.

Candidates for the top two posts had to come from the six Olympic-category members, those who competed in at least one of the last three Games. On November 3, ten sportspersons, five men and five women, were declared elected unopposed as members of the commission.

Winter Olympian Shiva Keshavan and shooter Rajeshwari Kumari, from the Olympic Council of Asia’s Athletes Commission, will be ex-officio members. The rest are Salima Tete, Swapnil Kusale, Bhavani Devi, Tajinderpal Singh Toor, Bombayla Devi and Manjeet Singh.

Sindhu, Chanu and Bhavani also served on the earlier commission headed by MC Mary Kom.

About the commission

The International Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission serves as a link between athletes and the IOC. Its mission is to ensure that athletes’ viewpoints remain at the heart of Olympic Movement decisions, representing future, current and recently retired Olympic athletes. It aims to provide athletes with a platform to share their voice and experiences, and be part of change and decisions shaping the future of sport.

IOA Athletes Commission and General Body appointments

Commission members elected unopposed on November 3

Related on Apex Sports News

• PV Sindhu, Mirabai Chanu Among 10 Athletes Elected Unopposed to IOA Athletes' Commission

• Manu Bhaker to contest ISSF Athletes Committee elections

• Gen Dhiraj Seth Felicitates Indian Army Para-Athletes

Sources

• Sportstar

• NDTV Sports

• Photo: Raj Singh palamu, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)