In a significant move, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has decided to set up an 11-member Athletes Commission.
“The IOA has decided to give more representation to sportspersons in its general assembly and executive board with full voting rights,” the IOA said here on Tuesday.
The 11 members will be picked by sportspersons who have qualified for the 2012 London Olympics. The outgoing IOA secretary-general Randhir Singh said the move was in keeping with the International Olympic Committee's charter.
“To start with, the IOA will set up an 11-member Athletes Commission. The sportspersons selected/qualified for the London Olympics will, among themselves, select the members for the commission,” the IOA said.
Two members will be elected to the IOA's General Assembly and one to the Executive Board. They will have the privilege of full voting rights.
According to Randhir, an Olympic monitoring committee, to be launched soon, will have one sportsperson, who has qualified for the London Games from each discipline, as its member. He added that there was a proposal to form an Olympian Association of India.
Randhir also announced that the elections to the Arjuna Awardees Association will be held on December 12 as he and former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi would be stepping down.
