P T Usha, Gopichand in IOA`s new Advisory panel

New Delhi: The newly-elected executive council of the Indian Olympic Association today constituted a three-member advisory panel to guide the office bearers on the problems faced by the athletes, besides forming a nine-member Athletes Commission to oversee the needs of the players.

The three-member advisory panel includes P T Usha, P Gopichand and Dilip Tirkey. The General body also discussed the International Olympic Council`s statement that the elections were null and void and wished to clarify that the polls took place with a well laid-out procedure. "The elections were conducted under the guidance of a three-member Election Commission comprising Retired Chief Justice Anil Dev Singh, Justice V K Bali and Justice J D Kappor and even the Union Government had sent its observer Joy Sebastian to oversee the election process," the IOA said in a statement. "Even the members of the media were present at the venue in large numbers and it only proves that the election were held in free and fair manner and also with the approval of all the stakeholders party to the Indian Olympic Association in India," it added. Abhay Singh Chautala yesterday took over as the President of the IOA while the tainted Lalit Bhanot became the secretary general after the sports body conducted its controversial elections defying the IOC`s directive not to go ahead with the polls. Chautala and Bhanot were declared elected unopposed. Athletes commission: Chairman: Gurbachan Singh Randhawa ? Athletics Members: Wilson Cherian - Swimming K Malleswari- Weighlifting Manjit Dua- Table Tennis Jatinder Singh- Boxing Aparna Popat- Badminton Anuj Kumar- Wrestling Lawn tennis and Archery will nominate their members soon. PTI