PT Usha, Gagan Narang, Adille Sumariwalla in draft list of nominations for SOM election

New Delhi: IOA president PT Usha, Adille Sumariwalla and Gagan Narang are among 27 former athletes who have filed their nomination to contest for the post of Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM) in the Indian Olympic Association.

The IOA election is scheduled for December 5, and before that the SOM polls will be held on Nov 9.

The draft list of SOM nominations was announced on Saturday by returning officer Sanjay Kumar Srivastava, a retired IAS officer.

Eight SOMs (4 male and 4 female) will be elected by 80 former athletes (from the SOM roster) for the IOA General Assembly. From among the eight elected, two SOMs, one male and one female, will be elected to the IOA Executive Council. They can also contest the IOA elections.

Usha was an SOM in 2022 and has put forward her name in the SOM elections this time as well.

The draft list of SOM nominations has 15 male and 12 female candidates. These are all high profile names, Olympians who have represented the country. Abhinav Bindra, the 2008 Beijing Olympics shooting gold medallist who is also part of the SOM roster, has not filed his nomination.

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Besides Usha, former hockey captain Rani Rampal, Saina Nehwal, Anju Bobby George, Trupti Murgunde, Chekrovolu Swuro, Dola Banerjee — she is currently in the IOA executive committee as an SOM — Ashwini Nachappa among the 12 candidates for female SOMs. Among the 15 male candidates, Adille, the former AFI president, Gagan Narang, Vijender Singh, Achanta Sharath Kamal, Sardar Singh, Ronjan Sodhi, Yogeshwar Dutt — a current SOM and EC body member — Kamlesh Mehta, Moraad Ali Khan and Mansher Singh are part of the list.

The final list of valid nominations of contesting candidates will be announced on Nov 7. The SOM elections will be held two days later.