Olympic Council of Asia: Randhir Singh's remarkable career achievments
Former Indian trap and skeet Olympic shooter Randhir Singh was unanimously elected as the President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). This makes Singh the first Indian to hold the position officially. The shooter has appeared in five Olympic Games and served as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Here we decode three notable achievements of the shooter.
First shooter to win Asian Games gold medal (1978)
Singh won the country's first gold (trap) in shooting, in the 1978 Asian Games in Bangkok. He was also on the silver medal-winning Indian team at the 1982 Asian Games. Singh has participated in four Asian Games. He became the first person to compete in the Asian Games while being an office bearer in a continental sports organisation (Position: Secretary General of OCA).
Only the second Indian to appear in five Olympic Games
The 1984 Los Angeles games marked Singh's fifth appearance at the Olympics (1968-1984), after shooter Karni Singh (1960-1980) Singh's best performance at the Olympics came in his debut games in 1968 Mexico Olympics, where he finished 17th, two points behind fellow Indian Karni Singh and four points from bronze.
Sports administration career (notable achivements)
Singh started his sports administration career in 1984 as joint secretary of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). He served as Secretary General of the IOA (1987-2012) and was elected to the IOC in 2001. He became an honorary IOC member in 2014. Singh was on the Sports Authority of India's board (1987-2010), and the World Anti-Doping Agency Foundation Board (2003-2005).
Awards won by Singh
The honrary member of IOA was awarded the Arjuna Award for his contribution in sports, in 1979. Singh was awarded the Olympic Order in silver (2014), an award for people who have made significant contributions to the Olympic cause or the sport world Singh was awarded the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award, for excellence in sports by from the govt of Punjab.
