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New Leadership for Volleyball Federation of India

The long-awaited elections for the Volleyball Federation of India (VFI) concluded in Delhi, resulting in the election of a new team led by president Virender Kanwar. In a closely contested race, Kanwar secured victory over his closest competitor, Prem Singh Bajor, with a margin of 33 votes to 31.

Ramanand Chaudhary emerged victorious against Nilesh Jagtap, winning the position of secretary general with a tally of 33 to 29. Additionally, Hari Singh Chauhan was appointed as the new treasurer, while Anand Sankar Rajhans and Kuldeep Vats took on the roles of joint secretaries. The executive committee also welcomed Binoy Joseph, Mithlesh Kumar Singh, Uttam Raj, S Ramadasse, and Partha Das as members.

Notably, despite the elections, the international governing body, FIVB, has decided to establish a three-member steering committee to assist the newly elected officials. The committee includes Hitesh Malhotra, FIVB's Empowerment & NF Relations, Steve Tutton, Head of Technical & Development at FIVB, and Rohit Rajpal, a member of the IOA executive committee.

In an interview, Kanwar expressed his commitment to addressing various issues in an upcoming special general body meeting scheduled for next week. He stated, "I dedicate this victory to the players who desired an elected body to manage the federation. We will discuss all matters with our members and determine our path forward."

Upcoming Elections Required

Interestingly, the newly elected executive will not serve a full four-year term. Following a High Court directive, the federation must amend its constitution to comply with the National Sports Code of India, 2011, and other recent court rulings, submitting a report to the court by the third week of September.

Moreover, the federation is tasked with appointing committee members, including the Athlete Commission and Internal Complaints Committee. Once the court approves the election, a new election will be organized to establish a fresh executive body to oversee the sport in India.

A source, speaking anonymously, clarified, "The court order is explicit. A new election will be convened once the constitution aligns with the sports code and various court directives. The previous committee was unable to implement these changes as their tenure had concluded."