PT Usha, Saina Nehwal Among 27 Contenders For Eight IOA Sportspersons Of Merit Positions

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha and five Olympic medallists are among 27 former athletes in the fray for election to the eight Sportspersons of Merit (SOMs) positions, which will make them members of the General Assembly of the national Olympic body.

Eighty SOMs -- 40 men and 40 women -- will elect four men and four women from among the 23 candidates in a virtual poll on November 9. Separate instructions about the polls will be issued later by Electoral Officer Sanjay Kumar Srivastava.

The elected eight SOMs will become members of the IOA General Assembly to be eligible to vote for the December 5 polls of the new Executive Council of the Indian Olympic Association. Two SOMs -- one man and one woman -- will also eventually become members of the IOA Executive Council.

The SOM election assumes significance as some of the contenders to become Executive Council members, including for the top post of IOA president, are in the fray in this November 9 polls.

Among men, four Olympic medallists -- shooter Gagan Narang, wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, boxer Vijender Singh and hockey player Surinder Singh Shokar (1980 Olympics gold winner) -- are among the 15 candidates in the fray for the election of four SOMs.

World Athletics vice president Adille Sumariwalla, hockey great Sardar Singh and table tennis legend Achanta Sharath Kamal are also among the candidates.

Others in the fray are shooters Mansher Singh, Morad Ali Khan and Ronjan Sodhi, former table tennis player Kamlesh Mehta, former weightlifter Sathish Kumar Sivalingam, B Sai Praneeth and B Sumeeth Reddy from badminton and former shot putter Om Prakash Karhana.

Usha, Olympic medallist shuttler Saina Nehwal and World Championships bronze winner long jumper Anju Bobby George are among 12 candidates for the election of the four women SOMs.

Former archers Dola Banerjee and Chekrovolu Swuro, ex hockey captain Rani Rampal, former sprinter Ashwini Nachappa, ex shuttler Trupti Murgunde, Neelam Setti Laxmi from weightlifting, Ragina Kiro from Canoe and Kayaking, Anitha Paul Durai from basketball and Sunith Singh are also in fray.

However, Sunith Singh has been put up in the list without any seconder, and it is to be seen whether her candidature is accepted or not by the Electoral Officer.

Usha has been proposed by former table tennis player A Radhika, who is among the 40 women SOMs listed by the Electoral Officer, and seconded by former quarter-miler Lijo David Thottan.

The scrutiny of the nominations will be held on November 3 and the final list of the contesting candidates will be published on November 7.