Randhir Singh formally elected unopposed as OCA president

Raja Randhir Singh elected as first Indian president of OCA, with yoga as demonstration sport at 2026 Asian Games.

Veteran sports administrator and acting president Raja Randhir Singh was officially elected as the first Indian president of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) at its 44th General Assembly (GA) on Sunday.

The 77-year-old Randhir, who was the sole candidate for the post after nominations in July this year, was elected unopposed for the term 2024-2028. The formal voting saw Randhir receive 44 of the 45 National Olympic Committee votes with one abstention.

“Thank you very much and we are very honoured for the love and affection you have shown us. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. With your support you have shown Asia is one, Asia is one family. We are always there for you,” Randhir said.

The other posts up for elections -- five vice-presidents and Executive Board members each -- were also all uncontested.

Randhir, who has previously been the Indian Olympic Association Secretary-General and is an honorary IOC member, had been the acting president of OCA since September 2021. He was also a member of the Sports Authority of India’s Governing Board for 13 years.

Yoga inducted as demonstration sport

The OCA GA also saw yoga formally inducted as a demonstration sport at the 2026 Asian Games with current and past Olympians including Abhinav Bindra, Mary Kom and Mahesh Bhupathi congratulating Randhir on his election.