Former shooter, Olympian Randhir Singh passes away at 79

Former Olympian and one of India’s most respected sports administrators, Randhir Singh, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 79, marking the end of a remarkable era in Indian sport.

A five-time Olympian and Arjuna Award recipient, Singh was widely credited with shaping India’s modern Olympic movement and playing a key role in strengthening Asia’s sporting governance. He had stepped aside from his role as President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) earlier this year due to health concerns, after briefly becoming the first Indian to head the continental body. Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani later succeeded him.

Born in Patiala on 18 October 1946, Singh came from a distinguished sporting family. His uncle, Yadavindra Singh, played Test cricket for India, while his father, Raja Bhalindra Singh, served as an International Olympic Committee (IOC) member for nearly five decades.

A versatile athlete in his early years, Singh explored golf, swimming, squash and cricket before excelling in shooting — particularly trap and skeet. He represented India in five Olympic Games: Mexico 1968, Munich 1972, Montreal 1976, Moscow 1980 and Los Angeles 1984, having also been a reserve at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

His defining sporting achievement came at the 1978 Asian Games, where he won gold in individual trap shooting, becoming the first Indian shooter to achieve the feat at the continental level. He added a bronze and a team silver at the 1982 Asian Games. In recognition of his achievements, he received the Arjuna Award in 1979 and the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award.

Singh transitioned into administration while still competing, beginning a long and influential career. He served as Honorary Secretary General of the Indian Olympic Association from 1987 to 2012 and was a governing board member of the Sports Authority of India for over two decades. He also played a key role as Vice-Chairman of the Organising Committee for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

At the continental and global level, Singh served as Secretary-General of the Olympic Council of Asia from 1991 to 2015, later becoming its Life Vice-President before being appointed Acting President. He also founded and led the Afro-Asian Games Council between 1998 and 2007.

In international sports governance, Singh was a member of the IOC from 2001 to 2014 and later an honorary member. He contributed to several IOC commissions, including Olympic Games Study, Women and Sport, Sport for All, and Youth Olympic Games coordination. He also served on the ANOC Executive Council and held roles in the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Throughout his career, Singh was honoured with multiple international recognitions, including the OCA Award of Merit (2005), ANOC Merit Award (2006), and the Olympic Order (Silver) in 2014.

Paying tribute, colleagues in the sporting world remembered him as a “pillar of Indian sport and a bridge between generations of athletes and administrators”, noting his lifelong commitment to strengthening the Olympic movement in India and beyond.

With IANS inputs