Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar has nominated veteran former athlete PT Usha to the panel of Vice-Chairmen in the Upper House of Parliament. YSRCP member Vijay Sai Reddy has also been nominated along with him, news agency IANS reported.
Announcing the decision, Jagdeep Dhankhar said, “This is the first time a nominated member has been appointed to the panel.”
PT Usha was also recently elected as the President of the Indian Olympic Association. Usha, 58, a multiple Asian Games gold medalist and a fourth-place finisher in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics 400m hurdles final, was declared elected unopposed to the top post in an election overseen by the Supreme Court. Retired SC Justice L Nageswara Rao.
Usha’s elevation to the top post will also bring an end to the long-standing crisis in the faction-ridden IOA, which was warned of a possible suspension by the International Olympic Committee if the elections originally scheduled for December last year are not held. There are Held this month.
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IOC member Nita Ambani also congratulated PT Usha and said, ‘It is heartening to see so many women representatives in the Executive Council of the Indian Olympic Association.’
The Committee of Asia (OCA) put its seal of approval on the newly-elected body of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) after the recently held elections. Both the governing bodies also congratulated IOA President PT Usha through a letter dated December 16, told PTI.
“We have taken note of the results of the IOA elections and would like to extend our sincere congratulations on your election as the President of the Indian Olympic Association and all the Executive Council members elected on the occasion,” the letter said.
