Vijender Singh, Gagan Narang, Yogeshwar Dutt and Kamlesh Mehta elected unopposed as IOA Sportspersons of Merit

Vijender Singh, Gagan Narang, Yogeshwar Dutt and Kamlesh Mehta were elected unopposed as Sportspersons of Merit by the Indian Olympic Association on Saturday, the IOA confirmed.

The unopposed outcomes in the male category came after eight former athletes withdrew their nominations, leaving exactly four candidates for four available SOM posts ahead of the IOA elections scheduled for December 5. Electoral Officer Sanjay Kumar Srivastava said there would be no need to hold the scheduled ballot for the male candidates on Monday after the withdrawal deadline expired at 2 pm on Saturday. As Sportspersons of Merit, the four will join the IOA General Assembly and will be eligible both to vote and to contest positions in the December 5 Executive Council election.

The SOM results give the elected athletes formal roles within the IOA decision-making structure: all eight SOMs will become members of the General Assembly and will have the opportunity to contest the December 5 Executive Council elections. The IOA also provides for one male and one female SOM to serve on the Executive Council. That allocation is a direct reason the SOM contests attracted attention ahead of the Executive Council vote.

Yogeshwar Dutt was already a member of the outgoing Executive Council after being selected as a Sportsperson of Merit ahead of the 2022 elections. Former archer Dola Banerjee previously held a similar SOM position in the earlier council. The presence of past office-holders among the SOMs links this batch of selections to the IOA’s recent administrative make-up.

In the male category, eight withdrawals left four candidates unopposed for the SOM slots. Sanjay Kumar Srivastava confirmed the male election would not proceed on Monday following the expiry of the withdrawal deadline at 2 pm on Saturday. Prominent men who withdrew included Achanta Sharath Kamal, Adille Sumariwalla, B Sai Praneeth, Ronjan Sodhi, Mansher Singh and Moraad Ali Khan.

The women’s SOM contest remains scheduled for Monday, with six former athletes vying for four positions after five withdrawals. The contestants are incumbent IOA president PT Usha, Olympic medallist Saina Nehwal, World Athletics Championships bronze medallist Anju Bobby George, former archer Dola Banerjee, former India women’s hockey captain Rani Rampal and ex-basketball player Anitha Paul Durai. The IOA has said the women’s election will be conducted virtually.

There has been dispute over the withdrawals. Former National Convener of Clean Sports India BVP Rao alleged pressure from the Sports Ministry had prompted some pullouts, saying, "These ex-champions withdrew their nominations just because of one phone call from the Ministry of Sports," and adding that the remaining women candidates had stood their ground. A Sports Ministry source rejected Rao’s allegation, maintaining the ministry had no role in the independently conducted IOA elections and had never interfered in the process.

The selected SOMs now hold membership of the IOA General Assembly and the right to vote and stand in the Executive Council elections scheduled for December 5, which will determine the composition of the next IOA Executive Council.