Prominent Athletes Nominated for Indian Olympic Associations Electoral College

New Delhi, October 19 (Daily Kiran) : The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has announced a list of 34 athletes nominated for its Electoral College, which will select members for the Athlete Commission. Among the nominees are Asian Games gold medalist Neeru Dhanda, badminton star PV Sindhu, Olympic medalist Mirabai Chanu, and Indian men’s hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh. The elections will take place on November 3.

Sanjay K. Srivastava, the electoral officer appointed by the IOA, released the list on Friday. Each of the 17 National Sports Federations (NSFs) has nominated one or two representatives. Notably, representatives from the All India Football Federation, All India Tennis Association, Boxing Federation of India, and Table Tennis Federation of India are absent from the list. Both Sindhu and Mirabai were part of the previous Athlete Commission.

Under Article 10.3 of the IOA Athlete Commission rules approved in September, each participating NSF member can nominate two representatives—one male and one female—through their Athlete Commission. The nominated athletes must represent the sport associated with the relevant IOA federation.

Dhanda and Swapnil Kushare have been selected for shooting, while the Indian Weightlifting Federation nominated Mirabai and the Wrestling Federation of India selected Aman Seherawat. Hockey India has chosen Harmanpreet and women’s team captain Salima Tete. The Badminton Association of India nominated K. Srikanth and Sindhu, while the Fencing Association of India selected Bhavani Devi. The Athletics Federation of India will be represented by Sudha Singh and Tajinderpal Singh Toor.

The 34 representatives will elect 10 members—five men and five women—for the IOA Athlete Commission for the term 2026-2030. Athletes interested in contesting must submit their nomination papers by 5 PM on October 21.

According to Article 10.1 of the IOA Athlete Commission rules, the election will be conducted by a pool of eligible athlete representatives, forming the Electoral College for the election. Article 10.4 clarifies the process for candidates. Any eligible athlete representative wishing to run must submit an application through the relevant NSF member in the format specified by the electoral officer.

Candidates must not have any history of violations of the World Anti-Doping Code, the National Anti-Doping Act of 2022, or any applicable integrity regulations. Additionally, candidates should not have faced sanctions for violating the IOA constitution, its sub-rules, or any of its regulations.

The composition of the 10-member Athlete Commission will adhere to specific sporting eligibility requirements. At least six elected members—three men and three women—must have participated in one of the last three editions of the Olympic Games. The remaining four positions, including two men and two women, are reserved for athletes who have won at least one medal in any of the last three editions of the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, World Championships/Cups, or National Games.

Two members of the Athlete Commission—one male and one female—will also serve on the IOA Executive Council.

Trap shooter Rajeshwari Kumari, elected during the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya to the Olympic Council of Asia’s Athlete Commission, will join the IOA Athlete Commission as an ex-officio member with voting rights.