Randhir Singh (sport shooter)

Randhir Singh (born 18 October 1946) is a sports administrator and former Olympic-level trap and skeet shooter. Singh is a 1979 recipient of the Arjuna Award.[1] He is the current Acting President of Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) beginning 11 September 2021,[2] following the ruling against former President Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah.[3] He was also the Secretary General of the Olympic Council of Asia since 1991-2015.[4] Singh was the representative for India on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 2001-2014, and since 2014, he has been an honorary member of the IOC.[5]

Randhir Singh
Singh in 2021
Acting President of the Olympic Council of Asia
Assumed office
11 September 2021
Preceded bySheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah
10th Secretary General of Indian Olympic Association
In office
1987–2012
PresidentSivanthi Adithan

Suresh Kalmadi

(Acting) Vijay Kumar Malhotra
Preceded byRoshan Lal Anand
Succeeded byLalit Bhanot
Member of the International Olympic Committee
In office
2001–2014
Personal details
Born
Raja Randhir Singh

(1946-10-18) 18 October 1946
Patiala, Punjab Province, British India
NationalityIndian
Spouse(s)Vineeta Singh
ChildrenMahima, Sunaina and Rajeshwari
Parent(s)Raja Bhalindra Singh (father)
RelativesVipin Khanna (father-in-law)
Alma materSt. Stephen's College

Background

Singh was born to Raja Bhalindra Singh, son of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala.

Singh comes from a family of influential sporting administrators. His uncle, Test cricketer Maharaja Yadavindra Singh, played an important part in lobbying for and then organizing the first Asian Games in 1951 in Delhi.[6] His father Raja Bhalindra Singh was a member of the IOC from 1947-1992, President of the Indian Olympic Association from 1960-1975 and 1990-1984, and was crucial in bringing the 1982 Asian Games to New Delhi.[7][8][9]

Singh was educated at Yadvindra Public School, and graduated from St.Stephens College, Delhi.[10][11]

Career as shooter

He made his competitive senior shooting debut as an eighteen-year-old when he was part of the winning trap shooting team at the Indian National Championships in 1964. His team defended the title the next year, and he won his first national individual title in 1967 in skeet. He went on to win multiple titles at national level in both skeet and trap shooting.[7]

He became the first Indian shooter to win continental gold at the 1978 Asian Games in Bangkok. On home soil four years later, he won team silver at the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi.[7]

He competed at five Olympic Games from 1968 to 1984 in Mixed Trap.[12] He was the second Indian, after Karni Singh, to compete at five Olympics. His best Olympic performance was 17th at the 1968 Olympics, two points behind Karni Singh and four points from bronze.[13] He also competed at four Asian Games, winning a medal of each color.

Sports administrator

Singh is known to be one of India's most influential sports administrators and he was an influential member of the International Olympic Committee, during his time as a full member of the organisation.[14][15]

He was Founder Secretary General of the Afro-Asian Games Council (1998–2007), and helped lead the organization of the only Afro-Asian Games in Hyderabad in 2003.

Singh was instrumental in bringing the 2010 Commonwealth Games to India, and had been the Vice Chairman of the Organizing Committee.[16][17] He has been the only senior office bearer of the controversial Organizing Committee who has a clean image.[18] During the planning of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Singh and Suresh Kalmadi, President of the Indian Olympic Association at the time, clashed over the planning of the games.[19] Reportedly, the clashes had reach the extent where Manmohan Singh, who was the Prime Minister of India at the time, had to be informed by the head of the Commonwealth Games, Mike Fennell.[19]

Singh in Riyadh with Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal Al Saud (far left), and Prince Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud (left), in 2022

Singh has been Secretary General of the Indian Olympic Association from 1987-2012, Secretary General of Olympic Council of Asia 1991-2015, Life vice President of the Olympic Council of Asia 2015-2021, Acting President of the Olympic Council of Asia since 2021, was a member of the International Olympic Committee 2001-2014, is currently an honorary member of the International Olympic Committee since 2014, and is a member of the Association of National Olympic Committees Executive Board since 2002.[20][21] He has also served as member of the World Anti-Doping Agency Foundation Board (2003–2005) and on the following commissions: Olympic Games Study (2002–2003), Sport for All (2004-), Women and Sport (2006-), Coordination for the 1st Summer Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in 2010 (2008-); Olympic Truce Foundation (2007-).[11] Singh (who has been an honorary member since 2014), Nita Ambani and Narinder Dhruv Batra are the three IOC members from India.[22]

Singh has been reported to be close to the Al-Sabah family, the royal family of Kuwait, and is also reported to be good friends with Thomas Bach, the 9th President of the IOC.[23][24]

In 2021, he was appointed as Acting President of the Olympic Council of Asia with headquarters on Kuwait City.[2]

Awards

Personal life

Singh's father was Raja Bhalindra Singh, who was a younger son of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala. Singh was educated at Yadvindra Public School, in Patiala and graduated from St. Stephen's College, Delhi with BA in History.[20] Singh has been married twice. He first married Rani Uma Kumari of Sirmur. His second marriage is to Vineeta Singh.[26] Vineeta is the eldest child and only daughter of Vipin Khanna, who was an influential businessman.[27][28]

Singh has 3 daughters; Mahima,[29] Sunaina and Rajeshwari. Sunaina Kumari is one of the Vice-Presidents of the Indian Olympic Association.[30] Rajeshwari Kumari is a sports shooter who won a gold medal at the Asian Online Shooting Championship in 2021.[31] Rajeshwari is Singh's daughter through his second marriage with Vineeta.[26]

See also

References
  1. "Raja Randhir SINGH - Indian Olympic Association, IOC Member since 2001". International Olympic Committee. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  2. "Singh appointed acting Olympic Council of Asia president". Reuters. 11 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  3. "Sheikh Ahmad found guilty of forgery in Geneva court". www.insidethegames.biz. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  4. "Raja Randhir SINGH - Indian Olympic Association, IOC Member since 2001". International Olympic Committee. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  5. "Raja Randhir SINGH - Indian Olympic Association, IOC Member since 2001". International Olympic Committee. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  6. "Big-game hunter". India Sports Tribune. The Tribune, Chandigarh. 8 October 2005. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  7. "Randhir Singh Profile - Indian Shooter Randhir Singh Biography - Information on Randhir Singh". Iloveindia.com. 18 October 1946. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  8. "Indian Olympic Association". olympic.ind.in. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  9. DILIP BOBB Asoka Raina (11 October 2013). "India set to stage country's most ambitious undertaking to date - IX Asiad". India Today. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  10. Service, Tribune News. "Time to cherish memories at YPS, Patiala". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  11. "Raja Randhir SINGH - Indian Olympic Association, IOC Member since 2001". International Olympic Committee. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  12. "Randhir Singh Biography and Olympic Results | Olympics at". Sports-reference.com. 18 October 1946. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  13. "Shooting at the 1968 Ciudad de México Summer Games: Mixed Trap | Olympics at". Sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  14. "We need top-class coaches to succeed at the Olympics: IOC secretary-general". India Today. 21 June 2004. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  15. Rawat, Rahul (9 December 2012). "Inside IOA's dirty war: Clean-up act by Randhir Singh, Jagdish Tytler that led to the suspension is a wake-up call for Indian sports". India Today. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  16. InsideSport Desk (5 March 2019). "2022 Asian Games: Randhir named coordination committee chairman". Inside Sport. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  17. Express News Service (25 February 2009). "Confident Games panel questions Parliament panel: Old report tabled?". The Indian Express. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  18. "XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi |".
  19. DNA Web Time. "Kalmadi, Randhir slug it out over Commonwealth Games". DNA India. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  20. "Raja Randhir SINGH - Indian Olympic Association, IOC Member since 2001". International Olympic Committee. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  21. Vaidya, Jaideep. "Royal, cricketer, shooter, administrator, all in one: The story of Randhir Singh". Scroll.in. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  22. "IOC Members List". International Olympic Committee. 20 January 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  23. Dwivedi, Sandeep (15 August 2010). "Games they play". The Indian Express. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  24. Kannan, S (2013). "New IOC chief keen to take steps to bring India back into Olympic fold". India Today. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  25. "Raja Randhir Singh". Olympics. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  26. Dasgupta, Piyali (2013). "Raja Randhir Singh from the royal family of Patiala decks up to host their daughter's wedding". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  27. "Nagindra Khanna - Times of India". The Times of India. 3 July 2012. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  28. Mahapatra, Dhananjay (15 August 2007). "Barak deal kickback £7.3m | India News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  29. "'Anyone Dirtying the Streets Should be Fined Rs 5,000'". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  30. "N Ramachandran to be next IOA president". The Economic Times. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  31. "OCA » Ria Kumari follows in footsteps of dad and Indian shooting legend Raja Randhir Singh". ocasia.org. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
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