New Delhi: Senior sports administrator Randhir Singh is set to become the first Indian President of Olympic Council of Asia, it was announced on Saturday. Randhir, who is considered as a veteran sports administrator in India, will be elected as the president in the 44th General Assembly of the Asian body in New Delhi.
Randhir, who is a former shooter, will be officially named as the new OCA president in the presence of Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and other top leaders from all the 45 nations of Asia. The veteran administrator, who hails from Patiala in Punjab, comes from a family of sportspersons. His uncle, Maharaja Yadavindra Singh, was an IOC member and also played Test cricket for India. Meanwhile, his father, Bhalindra Singh, also happened to be a IOC member and played first class cricket.
Randhir competed in four Asian Games
Randhir has earned this position for a reason as he competed in four Asian games, bagging trap gold in 1978, a bronze medal in 1982 and a team silver medal in 1986. He also took part in the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Canada. After quitting as an active sportsperson, he entered sports administration in 1987 and was named the secretary general of the Indian Olympic Association.
He was also associated with the Sports Authority of India, and also a member of the IOC between 2001 and 2014, after which he continued as the honorary member of the global body.
“I’ve been lucky in my life as my family has been involved in sport for a very long time. I’m the fourth generation. Sports started in my family during my great grandfather, Maharaja Rajinder Singh’s time. It was cricket and polo then,” he said.
“I was lucky to be at the OCA for 33 years since 1991. And we set up what is now called the Olympic Council of Asia, which, out of all the five continents, is the strongest in sport,” added Randhir.
Randhir Singh is set to become first Indian President of Olympic Council of Asia in the 44th General Assembly of the Asian body. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
