2024-07-24 07:37:06
New Delhi: Former international shooter and veteran sports administrator Randhir Singh is on his way to become the first Indian president of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) as he is the only candidate left for the top post in the elections to be held on September 8. 77-year-old Randhir, a former member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and former Secretary General of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), is currently the acting head of the continent’s apex Olympic body. The OCA said in a statement, “The OCA Election Commission can confirm that OCA Acting President Randhir Singh is the only candidate to be nominated for the election of the OCA General Assembly on 8 September 2024.” According to the statement, “The Election Committee, chaired by Justice Rohinton Nariman (former judge of the Supreme Court of India), met today to review the CVs and eligibility requirements of all nominated candidates submitted by the member NOCs (National Olympic Committees) of the OCA by the deadline of 21 July 2024 in accordance with the OCA Constitution, Election Rules and Guidelines.” It said, ‘The Committee unanimously approved the nomination of Singh who was nominated by the NOC of India and supported by the 27 member NOCs of the OCA.’
Mongolian Olympic Committee President Batushig Batbold was deemed ineligible by the Election Committee as he does not meet the eligibility requirements set out in the relevant articles of the Constitution. According to this, the candidate must either serve as the President of his NOC for at least eight years or as a member of the OCA Executive Board for at least eight years and must be supported by two NOCs. The Election Committee was then informed by the Secretary General of the Mongolian NOC that Batbold had withdrawn his candidacy for the post of OCA President. In September 2021, the IOC appointed Randhir as the acting head of the OCA after Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah was convicted by a Geneva court and the Kuwaiti administrator resigned as president. Randhir served as OCA Secretary General from 1991 to 2015 when Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah was president.
Who is Randhir Singh?
Randhir participated in five Olympic Games in mixed trap from 1968 to 1984. He was the second Indian to participate in five Olympics after Karni Singh. He won medals in four Asian Games. He was the Secretary General of the IOA from 1987 to 2012 and was the Vice-President of the Organising Committee of the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games. He was a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 2001 to 2014. He has been an honorary member of the IOC since 2014.