New Delhi
Olympian and India’s seasoned sports administrator Dr Adille J Sumariwalla was on Thursday elected as one of the four vice presidents of the World Athletics during the 54th world governing body congress in Budapest, Hungary. The 65 years old president of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) became the first Indian to be elected to the executive board of the world governing body in track and field.
Former multiple national 100m champion was first elected to the world council in 2015. He was re-elected in 2019. “I will continue to contribute to the long-term financial stability, security and prosperity of World Athletics,” India’s newly elected vice president of World Athletics said.
Colombia’s Olympic 400m bronze medalist, Ximena Restrepo, was re-elected as vice president. Raul Chapado (Spain) and Jackson Tuwei (Kenya) are the other two newly elected vice-president of the world body.
While World Athletics president Sebastian Coe was elected for a third term on Thursday.
Considered one of the finest Indian sports administrators, Sumariwalla has immensely contributed to the development of Indian athletics.
During the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian to win an individual gold, while there has been significant growth at the grassroots level. Over 5000 athletes competed at the 2023 National Inter District Junior Athletics Meet (NIDJAM) held in February in Patna, Bihar.
Earlier during the 50th anniversary of the Asian Athletics Association (AAA), the AFI was awarded the best member federation award.
“I’m grateful to the government and other stakeholders for supporting athletics,” Sumariwalla added.
