Twelve athletes from nine sports are battling for ten seats on the IOA Athletes’ Commission, with PV Sindhu among the top nominees.
Rule 8.6 is the linchpin—maximum representation, no more than one athlete per sport if practicable. The current slate has five male and five female aspirants, with two spots each for men’s and women’s hockey, badminton, and athletics.
The composition will have to juggle mandatory eligibility: six must have competed in the last three Olympics, three of each gender; four must have medaled in recent major continental or global events. That’s a tall order for a board of just ten.
Weightlifting’s Mirabai Chanu, archery’s Bombayla Devi, and fencing’s Bhavani Devi round out the female side, while the male side boasts the likes of Kayak’s Manjeet Singh, Shooter Swapnil Kusale, and Hockey’s Harmanpreet Singh.
The election also nudges toward team versus individual sports—at least one from each. So the board could end up with a mix that mirrors the diversity of India’s Olympic pedigree.
Once the vote closes, the commission will shape athlete interests heading into the Paris 2024 Games. The next step? The Electoral Officer will announce the final lineup on Thursday.