Overview
- The Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit vote on 9 November produced four women in the top four — Anju Bobby George (53), Rani Rampal (50), Dola Banerjee (45) and Saina Nehwal (43) — with IOA president P. T. Usha finishing fifth on 40 of 80 votes and thus missing an SOM seat.
- Former IOA president Narinder Dhruv Batra filed formal objections challenging multiple nominations, notably P. T. Usha’s inclusion as the Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI) nominee, and asked the electoral officer to verify membership records and the nominating bodies’ authority.
- Electoral Officer Sanjay Kumar Srivastava was scheduled to scrutinise and decide those objections on Saturday, 14 November, with the final electoral roll due to be published on Sunday, 15 November.
- The IHAI has defended its nominations by submitting an IIHF letter dated 23 September and a notarised affidavit showing Usha’s Kerala unit membership and a vice‑president role, while other federations have also lodged counter‑claims about rival bodies’ status.
- The dispute has drawn an IOC rebuke and heightened stakes for India because the eight SOMs join the IOA General Assembly and can contest the 5 December executive council vote, and the controversy could affect India’s 26 November presentation for a 2036 host bid.