IOA Elections 2026: How 34 Athlete Representatives Will Choose 10 Commission Members

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) will hold elections for its 10-member Athletes Commission for the 2026–2030 term on November 3, with 34 athlete representatives from 17 national sports federations forming the electoral college.

The list of electoral college members was released by electoral officer Sanjay K Srivastava. Each participating federation has nominated two athlete representatives, one male and one female, in accordance with the IOA Athletes Commission Rules.

Among those named are Asian Games gold medallist Neeru Dhanda, badminton player P V Sindhu, weightlifter Mirabai Chanu and Indian men’s hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh. The All India Football Federation (AIFF), All India Tennis Association (AITA), Boxing Federation of India (BFI) and Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) have no representatives in the electoral college.

The AIFF does not have an elected Athletes Commission, while the BFI is not recognised by the IOA or the Union sports ministry, according to the report.

Under the rules, candidates must be Indian citizens aged at least 18 on the date of nomination. They must not have been sanctioned for violations of the World Anti-Doping Code, the National Anti-Doping Act, 2022, applicable integrity regulations or the IOA Constitution and its rules.

Eligible athletes must submit their nomination applications through their respective national sports federations. The deadline for filing nominations is 5 pm on October 21, as prescribed by the electoral officer.

The 10 elected commission members will comprise five men and five women. Of these, six members, three men and three women, must have participated in at least one of the last three editions of the Olympic Games. The remaining four must include two men and two women who have won medals at specified events, including the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, World Championships or Cups, and National Games.

The commission will nominate one male and one female member to the IOA Executive Council. It will also select eight Sportspersons of Merit, comprising four men and four women, for the IOA General House. Two of them, one man and one woman, will be elected to the Executive Council during the December 5 elections.

Trap shooter Rajeshwari Kumari, elected to the Olympic Council of Asia Athletes Commission, will serve as an ex-officio member with voting rights.