PT Usha back in the fray in IOA elections

New Delhi: In a dramatic comeback, Indian Olympic Association president and sprint legend PT Usha can now contest the IOA elections and put herself in the fray for a second term in office. Her participation in the IOA elections on December 5 as a representative of the Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI) was approved by returning officer Sanjay Kumar Srivastava on Sunday, after objections raised against her nomination to the electoral roll were rejected.

Usha has been named in the 71-member final IOA electoral roll published by the returning officer. "Only the individuals named in the final electoral roll are eligible to contest, vote, propose and second in the IOA elections on December 5," the notification said.

This means Usha can run for the IOA president's post if she is nominated, for which she will first need a proposer and seconder. The filing of nominations for various posts of the IOA executive council is from November 22-24.

Also Read: Ice hockey body defends PT Usha's nomination for IOA elections

The doors looked shut on Usha when she finished fifth in the elections of Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM) last week, with Anju Bobby George, Rani Rampal, Dola Banerjee and Saina Nehwal elected as the four female SOMs to the IOA general body.

Usha had polled 40 votes, three fewer than Saina, in the 80-member SOM roster. Since Usha was elected IOA president as an SOM in 2022, it looked like she was out of reckoning for the president's post. Her loss in the SOM election also suggested that she might lack the support needed to pull through in a highly fractious poll marked by power plays and intense lobbying. The only other way for her to return to the fold was for a National Sports Federation to nominate her.

It came from the Ice Hockey Association of India on Thursday, causing quite a stir in IOA circles. IHAI forwarded the names of Usha and its secretary general, Harjinder Singh. Objections were raised against the status of IHAI as an NSF by a rival faction of the body, while Usha's membership in IHAI was also under scrutiny.

The IOA constitution requires nominated representatives to be members of the respective units. IHAI officials on Saturday submitted an affidavit stating that Usha was an administrator in its Kerala unit. IHAI also submitted letters of recognition from the international body, including one sent on September 23 by IIHF Director General Matti Nurminen, and an August 17 letter from IOA Chief Executive Officer Raghuram Iyer, recognising it as the governing body for ice hockey in India.

The electoral officials sought clarification from the IOA on whether an individual from a particular sport is entitled to be a member of that particular NSF only or can opt for membership of another NSF.

"The IOA clarified the mere fact that an individual is a member of another NSF does not, by itself, operate as an automatic disqualification. The IOA further submitted that in our understanding there seems to be no clarity or any distinguishing clause for the same, either in the IOA constitution or the National Sports Governance Act or related rules," noted an official letter from an electoral official, rejecting the objections against Usha's nomination from IHAI.

Objections against the nominations of Udit Harish Sheth from the Handball Federation of India and Harpal Singh, an IOA executive body member, from Ski and Snowboard India have also been rejected, and both have been added to the final electoral roll.

The IOA election process has been under scrutiny, with concerns raised by Usha and a few other SOM athletes, including Olympic champion shooter Abhinav Bindra. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has expressed disappointment over the disputes surrounding the conduct of the IOA election, saying they are "negatively affecting the operations and reputation of the Olympic movement in India."

It remains to be seen how the election battle unfolds in the next few days, with Usha now back in the fray. Other names, including Anju Bobby George, Adille Sumariwalla, Gagan Narang and Virendra Kumar Sachdeva, are also doing the rounds for some of the top posts in the IOA.

Elections will be held for the posts of president, senior vice-president, two vice-presidents, treasurer, two joint secretaries and six other executive council members, including one male and one female SOM.