New Delhi, Oct 10: The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Saturday announced that it will elect its new Executive Council on December 5, and kick-started the electoral process by appointing Sanjay Kumar Srivastava as the returning officer to oversee the polls.
Srivastava is a former Election Commissioner of Delhi and Chandigarh.
The new Executive Council members will have a tenure of four years (2026-2030).
The IOA said the elections would be held in accordance with the National Sports Governance Act, 2025, the National Sports Governance (National Sports Bodies) Rules, 2026, the amended IOA Constitution, and the applicable IOA Election Bye-Laws and Rules.
“The IOA has appointed Sanjay Kumar Srivastava, IAS (Retd.), former Election Commissioner, Delhi and Chandigarh, as the Electoral Officer/Returning Officer for the 2026 elections. He will conduct, monitor and supervise the elections relating to the Athletes’ Commission, Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOMs), and the IOA Executive Council,” the IOA said in a statement.
In the 2022 IOA elections, the 77-strong electoral college had the likes of Olympic medallists PV Sindhu, Gagan Narang, Sakshi Malik, Yogeshwar Dutt and MM Somaya. Nearly 25 per cent of the electoral college members were active or former athletes.
Out of the 77, 66 members were from 33 National Sports Federations that nominated one male and one female each, eight SOMs (four male and four female), two from the Athletes Commission (one male and one female) and a member of International Olympic Committee (IOC) in India, Nita Ambani.
The then IOA electoral college had more women members (39) than males (38).
On September 8, the IOA brought its constitution in line with the National Sports Governance Act (NSGA) — except in case of one provision — at its Special General Body Meeting, paving the way for its polls to elect a new Executive Council.
A couple of days later, the Sports Ministry allowed the national Olympic body to continue having a 16-member Executive Council after the IOC recommended that the number remain unchanged despite the NSGA’s requirement to limit the panel to 15.
First step is Athletes’ Commission elections
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The polls for the IOA Athletes’ Commission will precede the election of the new Executive Council members, and will be held on November 3.
“The Electoral Officer has formally notified the election of the IOA Athletes’ Commission for the 2026–2030 term, with polling, counting and declaration of results scheduled for 3 November 2026. Eligible NSF Members are required to nominate two athlete representatives through their duly constituted Athletes’ Commissions, with nominations due by 2:00 PM on 11 October 2026,” the IOA said.
“Eligible NSF Members are required to nominate two athlete representatives through their duly constituted Athletes’ Commissions, with nominations due by 2:00 PM on 11 October 2026.
“The Commission will comprise 10 elected athletes — five men and five women, with the Rules providing for specific representation of Olympic-category athletes and athletes with achievements at major competitions,” the IOA said.
Two members — one male and one female — of the Athletes’ Commission shall be made members of the Executive Council.
Out of the 10 elected members of the IOA Athletes’ Commission, six — three male and three female — should have, at the time of election, participated in at least one of the last three editions of the Olympic Games.
The remaining four elected members — two male and two female — should have, at the time of their election, won at least one medal in any of the last three editions of the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, World Championship/Cup or of the National Games.
Besides the 10 elected members, trap shooter Rajeshwari Kumari, who was elected as a member of the Olympic Council of Asia’s Athletes’ Commission during the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, will be an ex-officio member of the IOA Athletes’ Commission with voting rights.
The Athletes’ Commission will, in turn, select eight Sportspersons of Merit (SOMs) — four male and four female — who will be a part of the General House to elect the new Executive Council.
The returning officer will also oversee Athletes’ Commission election and the selection of the SOMs.
Current IOA President PT Usha was one of the eight SOMs selected by the Athletes’ Commission, headed by the celebrated boxer MC Mary Kom, before the 2022 elections. Later, Usha was elected unopposed as the president of the IOA on December 10, 2022, to become the first woman to head the national Olympic body.
The process of selection of SOMs — the first stage of the IOA elections — has already begun with the publication of application forms for inclusion in the roster on September 18.
“Eligible applicants have been invited to submit their applications and supporting documents by 18 October 2026. The roster will subsequently be prepared in accordance with the eligibility and tier criteria prescribed under the National Sports Governance framework,” the IOA said.
From amongst the eight elected SOMs, two — one male and one female — shall be elected to the IOA Executive Council.
2026 elections a milestone in strengthening good governance: Usha
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“The 2026 elections mark an important milestone in strengthening good governance, transparency and accountability within the Indian Olympic Movement. Our objective is to build strong, credible and athlete-centric institutions, fully aligned with the Olympic Charter and the national sports governance framework,” Usha said.
With India aspiring to host the 2036 Olympic Games, she stressed that strong governance and an athlete-centric approach would remain central to the IOA’s Olympic journey.
India is among seven interested parties in dialogue with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over hosting the 2036 Games in Ahmedabad. The others are Germany, Hungary, Qatar, South Korea, South Africa and Turkey. (PTI)
