New Delhi, May 27: Veteran sports administrator and India’s first Asian Games shooting gold medallist Randhir Singh passed away on Wednesday in New Delhi after battling age-related ailments, marking the end of an era in Indian sports administration.
He was 79 and had been hospitalised for several days before passing away at his residence. He is survived by his wife Vinita and three daughters — Mahima, Sunaina, and Rajeshwari, the latter also a shooter.
Singh had recently stepped down as President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) due to health concerns, concluding a distinguished administrative career spanning over four decades. He was elected to the post in 2024 for a four-year term and had earlier served as OCA Secretary General from 1991 to 2015.
The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) expressed deep sorrow over his demise, describing him as a “distinguished Olympian, Arjuna Awardee, and one of the most respected sports administrators in India, Asia, and the International Olympic movement.”
Singh’s sporting career included participation in five Olympic Games — Tokyo 1964, Mexico 1968, Munich 1972, Montreal 1976, Moscow 1980, and Los Angeles 1984 — and a historic trap shooting gold medal at the 1978 Bangkok Asian Games, which earned him the Arjuna Award in 1979.
In his administrative career, he served as Secretary General of the Indian Olympic Association (1987–2010) and held key roles in the International Olympic Committee (IOC) between 2001 and 2014. He also represented the IOC at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) from 2003 to 2005.
Tributes poured in from across the sporting world, with administrators and athletes remembering his immense contribution to Indian and global sports. He was widely credited for strengthening the Olympic movement in India and fostering consensus in sports administration.
His sporting legacy continues through his daughter Rajeshwari, an accomplished trap shooter and Asian Games medallist, while his other daughter Sunaina has been active in sports administration, serving as IOA vice president.
