Raja Randhir Singh appointed acting president of Olympic Council of Asia

Former Asian Games gold medalist Raja Randhir Singh on Saturday was appointed as the acting president of the Olympic Council of Asia. The Indian shooter replaced Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah who appealed a guilty verdict in a Swiss forgery trial.

Randhir Singh, the 1978 Asian Games champion, was promoted to the role from his position as an honorary life vice president.

“Whilst I have every confidence that Sheikh Ahmad will be successful in his appeal, I would be honored to step in temporarily as the acting president of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), to ensure the continued smooth running of the organization in the critical period ahead,” Randhir Singh said in a statement.

Sheikh Ahmad was convicted of forgery on Friday in a trial over whether he used a Kuwaiti coup plot to gain advantage over political rivals. He has been president of the Olympic Council of Asia since 1991.

A member of Kuwait's ruling family and former OPEC secretary-general, Sheikh Ahmad was handed a 30-month jail sentence, half of it suspended.

All you need to know about Randhir Singh

Randhir Singh, 74, is a former Olympic trap and skeet shooter. He is a 1979 recipient of the Arjuna Award. Born to Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala, Randhir Singh hails from a family of influential sporting administrators.

It's going fast. There is a new OCA president, ad interim: former IOC member Raja Randhir Singh from India, IOC honorary member since 2014, old fellow of the convicted co-conspirator Sheikh Ahmad. pic.twitter.com/OxuVISmqnr

— SPORT & POLITICS (@JensWeinreich) September 10, 2021

His uncle, Test cricketer Maharaja Yadavindra Singh, played an important role in winning India the right to host the Asian Games in 1951 in New Delhi. Yadavindra’s father, Bhalindra Singh, was a member of the IOC from 1947 to 1992. He played a crucial part in bringing the Asian Games back to India in 1982.

Today we celebrate the birth centenary of Raja Bhalindra Singh, former President of the Indian Olympic Association 1960-75 & 1980-84. Late Raja sahab was one of the greatest Indian sports administrators and a stalwart patron of sports in the country 🙏 pic.twitter.com/SAaeolaLtj

— Team India (@WeAreTeamIndia) August 9, 2019

At the 1978 Asian Games, Randhir Singh became the first Indian shooter to win a gold medal at the continental event in Bangkok. Four years later, he won team silver at the 1982 Asian Games