Asian Games gold medallist Neeru Dhanda, badminton star P V Sindhu, Olympic medallist Mirabai Chanu and Indian men’s hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh are among the prominent athletes selected by their respective national sports federations (NSFs) for the electoral college that will choose members of the Indian Olympic Association’s (IOA) Athletes Commission on November 3.
The electoral officer appointed by the IOA, Sanjay K Srivastava, released the list of 34 athlete representatives on Friday. The electoral college comprises two nominees each from 17 NSFs. However, four national federations- the All India Football Federation (AIFF), All India Tennis Association (AITA), Boxing Federation of India (BFI) and Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) do not have representatives on the list.
Sindhu and Mirabai were part of the outgoing Athletes Commission. The new nominations, meanwhile, mean that celebrated boxer Mary Kom, the current chairperson, and vice-chairperson Achanta Sharath Kamal, one of India’s leading table tennis players, will not be part of the commission for the 2026-2030 term.
Under Article 10.3 of the IOA Athletes Commission Rules, ratified in September, each participating NSF member can nominate two representatives — one male and one female — through its Athletes Commission. The nominees must be athletes representing the sport with which the federation is affiliated to the IOA.
“Only those NSF Members which have established an Athletes Commission shall be allowed to appoint their athletes’ representatives through their respective Athletes Commissions.”
The AIFF does not have an elected Athletes Commission, while the BFI is not recognised by either the IOA or the sports ministry. These are among the reasons the two federations have no nominees in the electoral college.
Dhanda and Swapnil Kushare have been chosen to represent shooting, while the Indian Weightlifting Federation has nominated Mirabai and the Wrestling Federation of India has selected Aman Sehrawat.
Hockey India has named men’s captain Harmanpreet and women’s team skipper Salima Tete. The Badminton Association of India has nominated K Srikanth and Sindhu, while the Fencing Association of India has selected Bhavani Devi.
The Athletics Federation of India will be represented by Sudha Singh and Tajinderpal Singh Toor.
NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR ATHLETES COMMISSION POLLS
The 34 representatives in the electoral college will elect 10 members — five men and five women — to the IOA Athletes Commission for the 2026-2030 term.
Athletes seeking to contest the election must submit their nomination papers by 5 pm on October 21.
Article 10.1 of the IOA Athletes Commission Rules states: “Members of the (IOA) Athletes Commission shall be elected by, and from amongst, a pool of eligible athlete representatives which shall constitute the electoral college for such election, constituted in accordance with this Rule,”
Article 10.4 further specifies the procedure for candidates: “Any eligible athlete representative from among this pool seeking election as a member of the (IOA) Athletes Commission shall submit an application through the concerned NSF Member in the format prescribed by the Electoral Officer.”
Candidates must be Indian citizens and at least 18 years old on the date of nomination. They must also have no history of sanctions for violations of the World Anti-Doping Code, the National Anti-Doping Act, 2022, or any applicable integrity regulations.
Additionally, candidates must never have faced sanctions for violating the IOA Constitution, its bye-laws, or its rules and regulations.
Ahead of the November 3 election, the IOA had asked NSFs to nominate two athlete representatives through their duly constituted Athletes Commissions by 2 pm on October 11. The deadline was announced alongside the appointment of the returning officer for the national Olympic body’s December 5 executive council elections.
OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE, MAJOR MEDALS AMONG ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
The composition of the 10-member Athletes Commission will be governed by 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 at the time of their election.
The remaining four positions, comprising two men and two women, are reserved for athletes who have won at least one medal at any of the last three editions of the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, World Championship/Cup or the National Games.
Two members of the Athletes Commission — one man and one woman — will also be included in the IOA Executive Council.
Trap shooter Rajeshwari Kumari, who was elected to the Olympic Council of Asia’s Athletes’ Commission during the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, will join the IOA Athletes Commission as an ex-officio member with voting rights.
The commission will also play a role in determining the composition of the IOA’s General House. It will select eight Sportspersons of Merit (SOMs), comprising four men and four women, who will become members of the General House and participate in the election of the new Executive Council.
Of those eight SOMs, two, one man and one woman, will subsequently be elected to the IOA Executive Council.
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