Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha has kept her hopes of a second term alive after being nominated by the Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI) as one of its two representatives to the IOA General Body. The nomination came on Thursday, just days after she lost the Sportspersons of Merit (SOMs) polls. Usha, a track and field legend, was named as the federation's female representative, with secretary Harjinder Singh as the male member.
Each of the 30 National Sports Federations (NSFs) entitled to vote in the IOA elections was asked by Electoral Officer Sanjay Kumar Srivastava to nominate one male and one female representative to the General Body before a Thursday 3pm deadline. The notification issued on Monday requires that a nominated member be a member of the NSF, and it is not clear whether Usha would satisfy that requirement. The rules also require each representative to be a citizen of India, under 70 years of age, and a person of good standing with knowledge of and belief in Olympic principles.S1
The electoral process has set out a timeline ahead of the vote. Objections to the provisional electoral college are to be submitted on Friday, scrutinised and disposed of on Saturday, and the final electoral roll is to be published on Sunday. The 71-strong electoral college will comprise 60 NSF nominees, eight SOMs already elected, two Athletes' Commission representatives and the International Olympic Committee member in India. The IOA Executive Council polls are scheduled for December 5.S1
Several prominent figures were among those nominated by their federations, including Adille Sumariwalla (athletics), Rajeev Mehta (fencing), Rahul Bose (rugby), Kalyan Chaubey (football) and Bhola Nath Singh (hockey). At least seven members of the outgoing Executive Council also secured places on the General Body. Both the SOMs and the NSF nominees are eligible to stand for the new Executive Council, and Sumariwalla is among those named as possible contenders for the IOA's top job, alongside SOMs Gagan Narang and Saina Nehwal.S1
