NEW DELHI: Former rower and canoeist Manjeet Singh has been elected unopposed into the IOA Athletes’ Commission after emerging as the sole candidate to file nominations under the medallist category (male). Meanwhile shuttler Kidambi Srikanth withdrew his nomination from the draft list. As a result, 10 athletes, featuring names such as PV Sindhu, Mirabai Chanu, Harmanpreet Singh and Swapnil Kusale, will be in the running for nine seats when the polls take place on Tuesday (November 3).In the notification published on Monday, issued by Electoral Officer (RO) Sanjay Kumar Srivastava, Manjeet, a treasurer in the Haryana Olympic Association, whose nomination was filed under the male medalist category, will not be subject to the election. The notification stated that he is the sole candidate in that category and will therefore be an unopposed member of the Athletes’ Commission.The final list includes four male candidates — shooter Swapnil Suresh Kusale, hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh, swimmer Sajan Prakash and athlete Tajinderpal Singh Toor. Six women are in the fray: badminton player PV Sindhu, hockey player Salima Tete, weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, archer Laishram Bombayla Devi, athlete Sudha Singh and fencer Bhavani Devi.The Electoral Officer’s notification states that the election will be held for the remaining nine positions, comprising four male members — three under the Olympian category and one under the medalist category — and five female members, with three under the Olympian category and two under the medalist category.The latest list marks a change from the draft list of nominations published on October 22. That list had 12 names, with six male and six female athletes representing 12 nominations across nine sports. Manjeet’s unopposed position and Srikanth’s withdrawal have altered the list ahead of polling.
