Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra on Thursday, November 12, made public the letter he wrote to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on October 31, questioning an apparent inconsistency between the IOA's constitution and the electoral rules governing the recently concluded Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM) elections. Bindra said he had received no substantive clarification from either the Electoral Officer or the IOA leadership, ANI reported.

Source: ANI via Indian Economic Observer

Posting the letter on X, Bindra said his private correspondence had found its way into the public domain and was being referenced in media reports, so he was sharing it in full so its intent and context were clear. "The letter was written before the elections, in a spirit of constructive engagement and with the larger interests of Indian sport at heart," he wrote, according to IANS.

Source: IANS via NewKerala

What Bindra asked — and what stayed unanswered

In the letter, addressed to IOA president PT Usha and chief executive officer Raghuram Iyer, Bindra said he had earlier written to the Electoral Officer seeking clarification on an apparent inconsistency between Article 3.7 of the IOA Constitution and the recently notified SOM election rules. He received an indication of which rules were being followed, but his specific constitutional question remained unanswered. "I must admit to feeling a little disappointed that a genuine question concerning the interpretation of our own Constitution could not be addressed," he wrote, adding that there may be a reasonable explanation and he would have welcomed the chance to understand it.

80Members placed on the SOM roster by the Electoral Officer
8SOM representatives elected — four men and four women
Dec 5IOA Executive Council elections, for the 2026–2030 term

A follow-up to Usha's November 9 election setback

The SOM elections on November 9 filled eight places in the IOA General Assembly. In the women's contest, Anju Bobby George topped the poll with 53 votes, followed by Rani Rampal (50), Dola Banerjee (45) and Saina Nehwal (43), while IOA president PT Usha finished fifth with 40 and missed out, PTI reported. The four men's places went unopposed to Gagan Narang, Yogeshwar Dutt, Vijender Singh and Kamlesh Mehta. Usha has separately raised concerns over the process and sought an independent examination by the International Olympic Committee, IANS reported — allegations the IOA process has not publicly answered in these reports.

Source: PTI via BharatBeat

Bindra, India's first individual Olympic gold medallist, said he had independently decided not to contest any election and that his intention was never to question individuals or influence an electoral outcome. "My intention was never to question individuals or influence an electoral outcome. It was, and remains, to encourage greater clarity, transparency and confidence in our institutions," he wrote. "As India looks towards an increasingly ambitious future in world sport, the credibility of our institutions will be just as important as the achievements of our athletes. Indian sport deserves nothing less."

The elected SOM representatives now join the IOA General Assembly and can vote and contest in the Executive Council elections scheduled for December 5, which will choose the IOA leadership for the 2026–2030 term. One male and one female SOM representative will also sit on the Executive Council itself. Neither ANI nor IANS carried an IOA response to Bindra's post in their November 12 reports.