Bahadur Singh Sagoo, the 2002 Asian Games champion in men’s shot put, has been elected unopposed as the new president of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) during the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on Tuesday.
His election marks a new chapter for Indian athletics as he takes over from the long-serving Adille Sumariwalla.
In addition to Sagoo’s appointment, Sandeep Mehta, the outgoing senior joint secretary, was also elected unopposed as the secretary of AFI. BE Stanley Jones was appointed as the treasurer. With these elections, the AFI's executive council for the next term is now in place.
Sagoo, who has represented India in both the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, expressed his commitment to building on the achievements of his predecessor, Sumariwalla.
He acknowledged the significant progress made under Sumariwalla’s leadership, particularly in the last three Olympic Games cycles, and stated that he would continue this legacy to ensure even greater success on the global stage.
Sagoo added that collective efforts from all stakeholders, including the government, would help Indian athletics make a notable impact at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
Sagoo is a two-time national champion and has an impressive career in athletics. His best performance of 20.40m in shot put was recorded in 2004 at Koncha-Zaspa, Kyiv.
The former athlete was awarded the Padma Shri in 2006, one of India’s highest civilian honours, by then-President APJ Abdul Kalam.
The outgoing president, Adille Sumariwalla, confirmed that the election process was transparent and in accordance with the AFI’s regulations. Justice (retd) Raj Shekhar Attri acted as the returning officer, while Niels Lindholm from World Athletics observed the proceedings virtually.
Sumariwalla, who also serves as one of the vice presidents of World Athletics, highlighted the achievements of Indian athletics under his leadership, including the increased presence of Indian athletes in global events, such as the World Athletics Championships.
In particular, Sumariwalla praised the success of Indian athletes in javelin throw, with three male throwers finishing in the top six at the 2023 Budapest World Athletics Championships.
He also noted the continued success of Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, who added a gold medal to his collection during the same competition, following a silver medal at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene. The men’s 4x400m relay team’s fifth-place finish in Hungary was another notable achievement.
Looking ahead, Sumariwalla emphasized the AFI's strategy of continuous adaptation to improve results at the global level. This includes the organisation of the World Athletics Bronze Level Continental Tour event in Bhubaneswar later this year.
The AFI is also planning a series of World Athletics events in the future, including the World Relays in 2029. Furthermore, an invitational javelin throw competition is scheduled for this year, with the participation of the top ten global throwers.
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