Who is Bahadur Singh Sagoo, the new Athletics Federation of India president?
Who is Bahadur Singh Sagoo, the new Athletics Federation of India president?
Bahadur Singh Sagoo was elected unopposed as the new President of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) on Tuesday. The 51-year-old Sagoo succeeds Adille Sumariwalla, who had been in the top position since 2012, and will serve a four-year term.
At the two-day Annual General Meeting in Chandigarh, Sagoo’s election was formalised as he was the lone candidate after incumbent senior vice president Anju Bobby George opted out of the race for the position.
Sagoo is a one-time Asian Games gold medallist and a two-time national champion in shot put. He clinched gold at the 2002 Asiad in Busan with a throw of 19.03m.
He also competed at the Olympics in 2000 and 2004. At the 2000 edition in Sydney, he finished 27th with an effort of 18.70m while four years later in Athens, he failed to record a legal throw in the qualification round. He also had a fourth-place finish at the 1998 Asian Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.
His career-best throw of 20.40m came at the Koncha-Zaspa Sinitskoha Memorial in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 2004.
He received the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour, in 2006 by former president APJ Abdul Kalam.
According to , Sagoo was earlier serving as Sports Secretary at PAP (Punjab Armed Police), Jalandhar. Currently, he is posted as the Commandant, 4th IRB (India Reserve Battalion) in Pathankot.
“In the last three Olympic Games cycle Indian athletics made good progress under the able leadership of Sumariwalla,” said Sagoo.
“Collective efforts of all the stakeholders, including the government will ensure Indian athletics make a good impression at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games in the USA.”
