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Nita Ambani elected IOC member in Rio
RIO DE JANEIRO: Noted sports promoter and founder chairperson of Reliance Foundation, Nita Ambani was on Thursday elected as an individual member of International
RIO DE JANEIRO: Noted sports promoter and founder chairperson of Reliance Foundation, Nita Ambani was on Thursday elected as an individual member of International Olympic Committee as she becomes the first Indian woman to join the prestigious body which governs Olympic sports in the world.
After being nominated in June by the IOC Executive Board, she was elected by IOC members at the 129th Session of the world body, just a day before the opening ceremony of the 31st Olympics Games here.
The 52-year-old is the only current active individual member of the IOC from India and she will serve at the high-profile world body until she attains the age of 70.
Former Indian Olympic Association Secretary General, Randhir Singh, who served as IOC member from India from 2001-2014, is currently an honorary member of the world body.
The independent selection process follows a new procedure for the recruitment of IOC members based on the Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendations. These nomination were done wholly on merit and then elected by existing IOC members.
As founder and chairperson of the Reliance Foundation, she has been steering initiatives in the area of education, sports, health and art and culture.
She is involved in promoting multiple sports in India with focus on developing talent through a number of large-scale grassroots initiatives.
The grassroots programmes that she has initiated have reached out to over 3 million children in multiple sports. She is the architect of Indian Super League.
