Indian sport loses towering figure as Raja Randhir Singh dies at 79

CHANDIGARH: Raja Randhir Singh, a five-time Olympian, decorated shooter and one of India’s most influential sports administrators, passed away at the age of 79 on Wednesday after battling age-related ailments. He was the first cousin of former Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh.A trap-and-skeet shooter, Randhir Singh served as secretary general of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) from 1987 to 2012 and secretary general of the Olympic Council of Asia from 1991 to 2015. He was also a member of the International Olympic Committee between 2001 and 2014.India’s first individualOlympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra described him as “a towering figure in Indian sport”. “Beyond the positionshe held, he carried himself with warmth, dignity and a genuine love for the Olympic movement. For many of us, hewas not just an elder in Indian sport, but a source of encouragement, guidance and grace,” Bindra told TOI.As a shooter, Randhir Singh won gold at the 1978 Asian Games in Bangkok, earning the Arjuna Award. He also clinched gold at the 1st Asian Clay Target Shooting Championship in Japan in 1981. At the 1982 Asian Games,he was part of the silver medal-winning Indian team and also secured an individual bronze.Capt Amarinder Singh expressed “deep sorrow” over his demise, while former India hockey captain and Jalandhar Cantonment MLA Pargat Singh described him as a “stalwart of Indian shooting”.Former Sangrur MLA Arvind Khanna, whose sister is married to Randhir Singh, remembered him as a compassionate and generous person. “You touched countless lives across generations and walks of life,” he wrote on social media.Olympian and Arjuna awardee shooter Gurbir Singh Sandhu, who was his teammate and roommate for two decades, said Randhir Singh’s contribution to Indian sport was “unmatched”. He also recalled his passion for Indian classical music and Urdu poetry.Former Punjab Olympic Association secretary general Raja Sidhu said Randhir Singh was not only an outstanding sportsman but also an exceptional administrator who shaped Indian sport for decades.Former DGP and ex-president of the Basketball Federation of India Rajdeep Singh Gill said Randhir Singh carried forward the sporting legacy of the Patiala royal family, which is now being continued by his daughter Rajeshwari, an Olympian shooter.