CHANDIGARH: Assam Cabinet Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah has been elected as the Vice President of the Athletic Federation of India (AFI) during its Annual General Meeting held in Chandigarh. The election was uncontested, securing him the post for the next four years. Currently serving as the President of the Assam Athletic Association, Mallabaruah's election marks a significant recognition of his contributions to athletics and sports development in Assam and beyond. Speaking on the occasion, Minister Mallabaruah expressed his gratitude, stating, "I am deeply honored by the trust and responsibility entrusted to me. This position provides an opportunity to further elevate athletics in India and strengthen grassroots initiatives. I will work towards fostering a vibrant sporting ecosystem across the nation."
The newly elected members of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) include Asian Games gold-winning former shot putter Bahadur Singh as President, Sandeep Mehta as Secretary, Anju Bobby George as Senior Vice President and Stanley Jones as Treasurer.
The outgoing president, Sumariwalla, said after the meeting that all rules were followed to elect new office bearers of the AFI for the next term of four years (2025-2029). Niels Lindholm was an observer (virtual) of World Athletics during the AFI elections of office bearers in Chandigarh.
“The elections of the AFI office bearers were held in a transparent way in Chandigarh on Tuesday. Justice (retd) Raj Shekhar Attri was returning officer," Sumariwalla added.
The 67-year-old Sumariwalla has been the AFI president since 2012 and was not eligible to contest elections this time under the existing National Sports Code.
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