Aslam elected Olympians Assn. president, Randhir chief patron

New Delhi: World Cup hockey winner Aslam Sher Khan was elected president while IOA Secretary General Randhir Singh was made chief patron of the Olympian Association of India, which was formed to air views on the state of sports in the country.

Hockey Olympian Balbir Singh (Senior) and legendary athlete Milkha Singh were named the Patrons of the Association at the elections after the formation of the Association on Monday. Former hurdler Gurbhachan Singh Randhawa will be the senior vice-president while former hockey internationals Harbinder Singh and Col Balbir Singh and shooter Gurbir Singh Sandhu were chosen vice-presidents. India`s World Cup Hockey-winning captain Ajit Pal Singh will be the secretary while former archery Olympian Sanjeeva Kumar Singh was named joint-secretary. The other members of the Association are Rupa Saini and Jagbir Singh (hockey), Manjit Dua (table tennis), Karnam Malleswari and Kunjarani Devi (Weightlifting), Leander Paes (tennis), Abhinav Bindra, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and Anwar Sultan (shooting), Sushil Kumar and Subhash Verma (wrestling), Vijender Singh (boxing), Ashwini Nachppa, Ram Singh and Capt Srichand Ram (athletics), Shiva Keshvan (luge-Winter Games), Sumangla (archery), Charles Borromeo (athletics), S S Hakim (football). Indian Olympic Association Acting President V K Malhotra welcomed all the Olympians and said that the expertise of the sportspersons will be availed by the IOA. Randhir also welcomed the members and said that new committee will provide useful inputs to IOA and NSFs so that sports get further boost in the country. The newly elected OAI President Aslam Sher Khan said he will do his best for the welfare of the sportspersons in the country. PTI