10 Indian players including MC Mary Kom, PV Sindhu, Mirabai Chanu elected in IOA Athletes' Commission

MC Mary Kom, PV Sindhu, and Mirabai Chanu were among 10 eminent sportspersons elected unopposed as members of the IOA Athletes' Commission in the elections held in New Delhi on Monday.

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However, the remaining 7 sportspersons selected in the IOA Athletes' Commission include Olympian Shiva Keshavan, 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Gagan Narang, table tennis player Achanta Sharath Kamal, hockey player Rani Rampal, swordsman Bhavani Devi, rower Bajrang Lal and former shotput player O. P Karhana.

Moreover, five out of ten players are women and all are Olympians. Only Keshavan is a Winter Olympian. Only ten players had filed their nominations and IOA Election Officer Umesh Sinha declared them all elected unopposed. India's first Olympic individual gold medalist shooter Abhinav Bindra and former hockey captain Sardar Singh will join the commission as members of the International Olympic Committee and the Asian Olympic Council. Both will have the right to vote.

Earlier, Bindra was a member of the IOC Athletes Commission for eight years in 2018. While Sardar became a member of the OCA Athletes Commission for four years in 2019. According to the new constitution of the Indian Olympic Association, there should be an equal number of women and men representatives in the commission. Two members of the commission will be in the IOA Executive Council. It's election will be held on December 10.

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Shiva Keshavan has represented India in six Winter Olympics. He said that this was the first full-fledged athletes commission in IOA history. "Yes, this is a historic moment for the athletes of the country. We now have a proper and full fledged athletes commission for the first time in IOA history," Keshavan told PTI.