NEEW DELHI: The legendary PT Usha was elected as the first female president of the Indian Olympic Association on Saturday, ushering in a new era in the nation's sports administration (IOA).
Usha, 58, who won three gold medals at the Asian Games and finished fourth in the 400-meter hurdles final in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, was declared elected without opposition to the position of president.
The elections were held under the supervision of Supreme Court-appointed retired judge L Nageswara Rao. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had threatened to suspend the divided IOA if elections weren't held this month, but Usha's elevation to the top position brought an end to the protracted conflict.
The initial date for the elections was December 2021.
Late last month, Usha emerged as the sole candidate for the top position, making her appointment to the position a foregone conclusion.
Nobody wanted to challenge Usha, who the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party nominated to the Rajya Sabha in July. Usha, a.k.a. "Payyoli Express," was nominated as a Rajya Sabha member in July and is currently perceived as a candidate for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
She added another achievement to her resume after dominating Indian and Asian sports for two decades before retiring in 2000 with a collection of international medals. She also became the first Olympian and first international medalist to lead the IOA in its 95-year history.
Usha is the only athlete since Maharaja Yadavindra Singh, who participated in a Test match in 1934, to have represented the nation while also leading the IOA. Singh, who presided over the IOA from 1938 to 1960, was its third president.
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