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IOA polls: PT Usha's ice hockey credentials traced to Kerala unit | TOI Exclusive

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

PT Usha's candidacy as the Ice Hockey Association of India's representative is anchored in her December 2023 election as vice-president of the sport's Kerala state unit. Federation leadership submitted a notarized affidavit defending her qualifications after objections were filed against the nomination, also noting her role in advising on a regional training camp in Kochi. Concurrently, broader election tensions persist as rival handball factions lodge formal challenges against competing nominees like Udit Sheth. Electoral officer Sanjay K. Srivastava must resolve these credential challenges before certifying the official voter roster.

Key points

  • The winter sports nomination provides PT Usha an alternate pathway to the IOA General Ass…: The winter sports nomination provides PT Usha an alternate pathway to the IOA General Assembly after an earlier election defeat.
  • Administrative disputes over state-level credentials and federation legitimacy have left…: Administrative disputes over state-level credentials and federation legitimacy have left multiple candidate nominations under official scrutiny.
  • The electoral officer retains sole authority to accept or reject challenged representativ…: The electoral officer retains sole authority to accept or reject challenged representatives before releasing the final electoral roll.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

NEW DELHI: The mystery surrounding Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president

PT Usha’s nomination as the women’s representative of the Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI) for the IOA elections has taken an intriguing twist. TOI has reliably learnt that Usha was elected vice-president of the Kerala unit of the IHAI in Dec 2023, a little-known association that could now prove crucial to her bid to return as IOA president.

Ever since Usha’s name featured in the provisional electoral college for the Dec 5 IOA Executive Council (EC) elections, questions had been raised over how she could represent a sport with which she had no apparent administrative association. Her nomination had attracted considerable attention, particularly after she finished fifth in the Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM) elections on Nov 9, missing out on a place in the General Assembly.

Usha was formally inducted as a member of the Ice Hockey Association (Kerala) on July 12, 2023, before being elected vice-president of the state unit in Dec that year. Her current tenure runs from Dec 2023 to 2027.

The Kerala unit itself…

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