Randhir Singh set to become first Indian to head OCA after September elections

Former international shooter and veteran sports administrator Randhir Singh is set to become the first Indian president of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) after emerging as the sole candidate for the top post for the September 8 elections.

The 77-year-old Singh, a former member of the International Olympic Council (IOC) and ex secretary general of Indian Olympic Association (IOA), was currently serving as the acting chief of the continental sports apex body.

"The OCA election commission can confirm that OCA acting president Randhir Singh is the sole eligible candidate to be nominated for election of the OCA General Assembly on 8 September, 2024," the OCA said in a statement.

"The Election Committee, chaired by Justice Rohinton Nariman (former judge of Supreme Court of India), met today to review the CVs and eligibility requirements as per OCA Constitution, the Election Rules and Guidelines, of all nominated candidates submitted by Member NOCs of OCA by 21 July 2024 deadline.

"The Committee unanimously approved the nomination of Mr Singh who was nominated by the NOC of India and supported by 27 Member NOCs of OCA." Mongolian Olympic Committee President Battushig Batbold was deemed ineligible by the Election Committee as he does not fulfil the eligibility requirements set out in the relevant articles of the Constitution which envisage that the candidate must either have served as president of his NOC (National Olympic Committee) for at least eight years or served as an OCA Executive Board member for at least eight years and must be supported by two NOCs.

Subsequently, the Election Committee was informed by the Secretary General of Mongolia NOC that Batbold has withdrawn his candidature from the OCA president's post.

Singh was appointed acting chief of the OCA by the IOC in September 2021 after Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Sabah stepped aside as president after a Geneva Court ruled the Kuwaiti guilty in a forgery case. Singh had served as OCA Secretary General from 1991 to 2015 under Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Sabah.

In July 2023, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Sabah's brother Sheikh Talal Al Fahad Al-Sabah was elected as the OCA president in the elections held in Bangkok. But the IOC refused to recognise the elections, ruling that Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Sabah had an "undeniable impact" on the OCA polls. Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Sabah was banned for three years by the IOC.

The decision to postpone the Hangzhou Asian Games by one year from 2022 to 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic was taken with Singh at the helm of affairs. A successful Asian Games followed, showcasing his leadership qualities.

Born in Patiala, Punjab, Singh is the son of Bhalindra Singh, a long time IOC member and IOA president. He is the grandson of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala.

During his shooting career, Singh won multiple national titles in both skeet and trap events. He became the first Indian shooter to win a gold medal in the Asian Games, which he did in 1978 in Bangkok.

From 1968 to 1984, Singh competed at five Olympic Games in mixed trap. He was the second Indian, after Karni Singh, to compete at five Olympics. He also won medals in the four Asian Games he had competed.

He was Secretary General of IOA from 1987 to 2012 and was the vice chairman of the organising committee of the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games. He was a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 2001–2014. He has been an honorary member of the IOC since 2014.