Usha named as Ice Hockey Association of India representative

P.T. Usha | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement The power battles within the Indian Olympic Association are only getting interesting, the latest being P.T. Usha as a voter for the Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI).The former IOA president, who missed out on the Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM) elections a couple of days ago, has been named as one of the two IHAI representatives in the provisional electoral list for the IOA Executive Council elections released late on Thursday night.The decision means Usha, who has already written to the International Olympic Committee claiming alleged violations during the SOM elections, has clearly decided not to go down without a fight. It also means she will be considered a member of IHAI and therefore, eligible to contest the IOA elections, scheduled for December 5.Also interesting are some of the other names in the electoral college as much as some of those missing. Bholanath Singh, emboldened by FIH’s backing, is Hockey India’s representative while Adille Sumariwalla, former Athletics Federation of India president and among those who had withdrawn from the SOM race, has been nominated by the AFI. However, Anju Bobby George, who topped the SOM votes, isn’t there with Jyotirmoyee Sikdar named as the female AFI representative.All India Tennis Association president Chintan Parikh and Rushmi Chakravarthi are on the rolls while Gujarat heavyweight Ajay Patel makes his entry from the National Rifle Association of India along with Putul Kumari.The final electoral list after scrutiny and objections, if any, will be announced on Sunday. Published - November 12, 2026 10:39 pm IST