Randhir Singh (born 18 October 1946) is an Indian sports administrator and former sports shooter. Singh is one of India's most influential sports administrators and is noted for his wide-ranging international connections. He has held several positions in both Indian and international sports governing bodies, and also had a successful shooting career before retiring from the sport in 1994. Singh began his sports administration career in 1984, while he was still competing as a shooter.
Singh has been the Acting President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) since 11 September 2021. His other roles in international sports administration include being a member of the IOC from 2001 to 2014 and since 2014, he has been an honorary member of the IOC. He had also served as the Secretary General of the OCA from 1991 to 2015. In domestic sports administration, his roles have included being the Secretary General of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) from 1987 to 2012 and a member of the governing board of the Sports Authority of India from 1987 to 2010. Singh was also crucial in bringing the 2010 Commonwealth Games to Delhi.
Singh was an Olympic-level trap and skeet shooter. His achievements during his shooting career include competing in five Olympic Games and becoming the first Indian shooter to win a gold medal in the Asian Games, which he did at the 1978 Asian Games. He received the Arjuna Award in 1979 for his achievements in shooting. Singh retired from his shooting career in 1994.
Early life and education
Randhir Singh was born on 18 October 1946 in Patiala, Punjab Province, British India. He is the son of Bhalindra Singh, a younger son of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala. Singh comes from a family of influential sports administrators. His father, Bhalindra, was a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 1947 to 1992, President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) from 1960 to 1975 and 1990 to 1984, and was crucial in bringing the 1982 Asian Games to Delhi. Singh's uncle, Yadavindra Singh, the last Maharaja of Patiala, played an important part in lobbying for and then organizing the first Asian Games, held in 1951, in Delhi.
Singh was educated at Yadvindra Public School in Patiala and graduated from St. Stephen's College, Delhi with a Bachelor of Arts in History. Singh played cricket in school and college as a one-down batsman who also opened the bowling for his school and college teams.
Shooting career
Singh was introduced to shooting by his aunt, who was a national-level shooter. In 1963, while particapting in a national competition in India, he shot 25 out of 25 clay pigeons in the first round. Singh made his competitive senior shooting debut as an eighteen-year-old, when he was part of the winning trap shooting team at the Indian National Championships in 1964. The team successfully defended the title in 1965, and Singh won his first national individual title in 1967 in skeet shooting. He went on to win multiple titles at the national level in both skeet and trap shooting.
In his youth, Singh aspired to play cricket for the Indian national cricket team, however, he stopped playing cricket as his shooting career flourished and he started representing India in international shooting competitions. He became the first Indian shooter to win a gold medal in the Asian Games, which he did during the 1978 Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand. Singh received the Arjuna Award in 1979. During the 1982 Asian Games in Delhi, Singh was part of the Indian team that won a silver medal.
From 1968 to 1984, Singh competed at five Olympic Games in mixed trap. He was the second Indian, after Karni Singh, to compete at five Olympics. His best Olympic performance was 17th at the 1968 Olympics, two points behind Karni Singh and four points from bronze. He has also competed at four Asian Games, winning a medal of each color. His last international competition was the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima, Japan. Singh, who had been the Secretary General of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) since 1991, became the first person to compete in the Asian Games while being an office bearer in a continental sports organisation.
Sports administration career
Singh began his sports administration career in 1984, when he was elected to the IOA as a joint secretary. He was elected to the IOC during the 112th IOC session in 2001, which was held in Moscow, Russia. In the election, Singh received 101 votes, which was the highest amongst all the candidates. He served as a member of the IOC from 2001 to 2014, and has been an honorary member of the IOC since 2014. Singh was an influential member of the IOC during his time as a full member of the organisation.