Long jump great Anju Bobby George named chairperson of AFI Athletes Commission

Long-jump great Anju Bobby George was on Wednesday named chairperson of the Athletics Federation of India's (AFI) nine-member athletes commission that features six women, with javelin throw star Neeraj Chopra being its most prominent male member.

The other women in the new panel are runner Jyotirmoyee Sikdar, discus thrower Krishna Poonia, hurdler MD Valsamma, steeplechaser Sudha Singh, and runner Sunita Rani. George, a 2003 world championships bronze-winner, is also a senior vice president in the AFI.

All of them are retired, and their induction is a noteworthy milestone in the AFI's quest for gender parity in its setup. The previous commission featured four women.

The commission was unveiled on Wednesday after the elections held in October last year.

Two-time Olympic medal-winning Neeraj Chopra is one of the four nominated members after consultations by the AFI's executive council.

The other two male members of the commission are 3000-m steeplechaser Avinash Sable and newly-elected AFI president Bahadur Singh Sagoo, a shot put gold medal winner at the 2002 Asian Games. Sagoo was the chairman of the previous commission.

Outgoing AFI treasurer Madhu Kant Pathak, who was the returning officer for the elections, said the polls were held after following due process.