Randhir Singh set to be elected as first Indian president of OCA | Olympics News

Randhir participated in four Asian Games, winning gold in the stairs in 1978, bronze in 1982 and silver in the team rankings in 1986. He also participated in the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Canada.

Randhir joined the sports governing body in 1987 when he was appointed Secretary General of the Indian Olympic Association, a position he held until 2012.

In 1987, he was also appointed to the Board of Directors of the Sports Authority of India, a position he held until 2010. He was also Vice-Chairman of the Organising Committee for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010.

Randhir was appointed Secretary General of the OCA in 1991 and held this position until 2015, when he assumed the position of Vice-President for Life, which he held until 2021.

He was later appointed acting chairman of the organization.

Randhir was also a member of the IOC between 2001 and 2014, after which he remained an honorary member of the global organization.

“I have been lucky in my life because my family has been involved in sports for a long time. I am the fourth generation. Sports started in my family during the time of my great-grandfather, Maharaja Rajinder Singh. It was cricket and polo then.

“So now it’s my turn. It’s definitely been a long journey… as a spectator, as a young boy with my father Raja Bhalindra Singh, then as a shooter and then as a driver from 1984,” he had said.

“I have been fortunate to have been with the OCA for 33 years since 1991, and we have created what is now the Olympic Council of Asia, which is the strongest in the field of sport among the five continents,” Randhir said.

When asked about India’s dream of hosting the 2036 Olympics, Randhir said the OCA has no role in this as the decision is taken by the IOC.

The OCA wants to introduce an Olympic-style qualification process to ease the burden on the continental showpiece. More than 15,000 athletes competed in last year’s Hangzhou Asian Games, with team competitions accounting for a large proportion of the athletes.

For comparison, 10,500 athletes participated in the Olympic Games in Paris.

The OCA is also likely to advocate for the inclusion of yoga in the Asian Games during the General Assembly.

“The OCA Sports Committee looked at it (the proposal to include Yoga as a discipline in the Asian Games). They approved it. Now the Olympic Council (of Asia) Executive Board has approved it. For any sport to be included in the Asian Games, the approval of the General Assembly is a must,” OCA Deputy Director General Vinod Tiwari had said.

“That will happen on September 8 and hopefully it will be approved. And for the next edition of the Games (in Nagoya, Japan) it will probably be introduced as a demonstration sport. Once that is done, only then will it be included in the Asian Games programme,” Tiwari added.

First publication: 07 Sep 2024 | 22:02 IST