New Delhi, Nov 12 (IANS) Despite suffering a setback in the Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM) elections, incumbent Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha has managed to remain in the electoral fray for the IOA Executive Committee by gaining the right to represent the Ice Hockey Association of India in the Special General Meeting (SGM).
Usha had finished fifth in the election to pick the women SOMs; the top four — Anju Bobby George, Rani Rampal, Dola Banerjee and Saina Nehwal — got elected.
Usha’s only hope of retaining her IOA President post vested in getting picked by one of the National Sports Federations (NSFs) to represent them and become part of the electoral college. Being part of the electoral college means she can not only attend the SGM and vote but also contest for any post in the Executive Committee.
According to sources, Usha has been chosen by the Ice Hockey Association as one of its representatives, which keeps alive her hopes for contesting in the IOA Executive Committee elections to be held on December 5.
Each NSF can nominate two representatives — one male and one female — to the IOA electoral college, and Usha has managed to snag one of the two votes that the Ice Hockey Association of India has.
According to the rules for the NSF’s official representatives, such a person “shall be a member of the NSF concerned, a citizen of India, less than 70 years of age, a person of good standing, sound judgement and independent mind with knowledge of and belief in Olympic principles”.
A legendary athlete who has won multiple medals for the country at the Asian Games, Usha being projected as a member of the Ice Hockey Association of India and becoming its official representative for the SGM may not go down well with many purists. But then Indian sports administrators function only on one principle — everything is fair in love and war.
Even though her detractors are likely to raise objections over Usha being nominated by the Ice Hockey Association, it is now clear that the legendary athlete will take all measures to contest the elections.
A nominated official representative can be disqualified only in case of insolvency, conviction followed by imprisonment, doping, or a ban by an Ethics Committee.
Usha, a member of the Rajya Sabha, will be a formidable candidate in the elections but, going by the SOM polls, she seems to have lost the favour of many members of the IOA and may not enjoy smooth sailing in the selections.
But there is still time for the actual polling, and a lot can change in the interim. Whether things will change in favour of Usha or against her, only time will tell.
–IANS
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