Randhir Singh becomes first Indian to be elected as Olympic Council of Asia president

Singh, who became the first Indian shooter to win a gold medal in the Asian Games in 1978 in Bangkok, was the sole candidate contesting for the position.

New Delhi: 1978 Asian Games gold medallist shooter and veteran sports administrator Randhir Singh officially elected unopposed as the first Indian president of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) at the 44th General Assembly of the continental body held here on Sunday.

Singh, who became the first Indian shooter to win a gold medal in the Asian Games in 1978 in Bangkok, was the sole candidate contesting for the position.

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He was elected as OCA chief in the presence of notable dignitaries, including Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Mansukh Mandaviya, and top sports leaders from all 45 countries of Asia.

After a legendary sporting career in shooting spanning for over two decades, Singh continued to serve in different roles across several sporting bodies, including the Indian Olympic Association and the Indian Olympic Council.

The 77-year-old sporting legend hails from Patiala Punjab, and was born into a family of sportspersons. His uncle, Maharaja Yadavindra Singh, played Test cricket for India and was an IOC member. His father, also a first-class cricketer, Bhalindra Singh, was also an IOC Member between 1947 and 1992.

After completing a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Delhi, Singh pursued a career in sports. After trying several sports in his early years, including shooting, golf, swimming, squash, and cricket, he picked shooting as his career path. Between 1968 and 1984, he competed across five editions of the Olympics, becoming only the second Indian to do so.

He also competed across four editions of the Asian Games between 1978 and 1994, winning an individual gold medal in trap shooting in 1978, an individual bronze medal in trap event in 1982, and a team silver in 1986. He also competed at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Canada.

In 1979, Singh was conferred with the prestigious Arjuna Award, and also with the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award for a historic sporting career.

His foray into sports administration began during his sporting career when he was appointed as the secretary general of the Indian Olympic Association in 1987, a position he held till 2012. He also became a member of the governing board of the Sports Authority of India in 1987 and held the role till 2010. He also held the position of the vice-chairman of the organising committee of the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games.

He was appointed as the secretary-general, of OCA in 1991 and held the position till 2015, before taking on the role of life vice president, which he held till 2021, after which he was appointed as the acting President of the body. In 1998, Singh was named as the founder secretary general of the Afro-Asian Games Council and held the position till 2007.

Singh became a member of the ANOC Executive Council in 2002. Between 2003 and 2005, he was elected as the IOC representative on the WADA Board and then became a member of WADA’s Finance and Administration Committee in 2005. He also held the chair for the 2019 Asian Games coordination committee.

He was a member of the IOC between 2001 and 2014. During his services for the IOC, he was part of numerous IOC commissions including Olympic Games Study (2002-2003), Sport for All (2004-2013), Women and Sport (2006-2013), International Olympic Truce Foundation (2007), and Coordination for the 1st Summer Youth Olympic Games Singapore (2010).

For his invaluable services, Singh was awarded the OCA Award of Merit in 2005, the Merit Award from ANOC in 2006, the Olympic Order, Silver in 2014, and the Honorary Doctorate, Literature in Sports Science from Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education, Government of India.