Gagan Narang, Vijender Singh and Yogeshwar Dutt elected unopposed

Ahead of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) elections scheduled for December 5, Olympic medallists Gagan Narang, Vijender Singh and Yogeshwar Dutt, along with former table tennis player Kamlesh Mehta, have been elected unopposed as Male Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM).

According to a report by Sportstar, eight candidates withdrew their names before the deadline of 2 pm on Saturday. Consequently, the election for Male SOM, which was to be held on Monday, was not required, and these four individuals have secured their positions.

On the other hand, the competition for the four Female SOM seats continues. A total of six candidates are in the fray, including current IOA President P.T. Usha, Olympic medallist Saina Nehwal, World Championship bronze medallist Anju Bobby George, former hockey captain Rani Rampal, former archer Dola Banerjee and basketball player Anita Paul Durai. Electoral Officer Sanjay Kumar Shrivastava has confirmed that this election will be held virtually on November 9.

The eight candidates who withdrew their names in the male category include World Athletics Vice President Adile Sumariwala, table tennis legend Achanta Sharath Kamal, former shuttler B. Sai Praneeth, weightlifter Satish Kumar Shivalingam, Olympic hockey gold medallist Surinder Singh Shoker and former shooters Ronjan Sodhi, Mansher Singh and Murad Ali Khan. In the female category, former sprinter Ashwini Nachappa, archer Chekrovolu Swuro, shuttler Tripti Murtugunde, weightlifter Neelam Setty Lakshmi and canoeist Regina Kiro have withdrawn their candidacies.

These eight elected SOMs (4 male and 4 female) will become members of the IOA General Assembly, making them eligible to vote and contest in the Executive Council elections to be held on December 5. Additionally, two SOMs (one male and one female) will also be elected to the IOA Executive Council.

Meanwhile, B.V.P. Rao, former National Convener of Clean Sports India, alleged that some candidates withdrew their names under pressure from the Ministry of Sports. However, a source from the Ministry denied these allegations, stating that the government has no interference or role in the IOA election process.