Shimla, April 11: Dr. Rajiv Kumar (IAS), Managing Director of HPTDC, has been unanimously elected as the President of the Himachal Pradesh State Judo Association during elections held in Shimla on Sunday.
The election process took place at Hotel Asia The Dawn and witnessed participation from representatives of all districts, with around 50 members casting their votes. The proceedings were conducted in the presence of observers from the Judo Federation of India, Himachal Olympic Association and the state sports department. Returning Officer Rajpal Chauhan supervised the elections.
Surendra Thakur was elected as the General Secretary of the association.
The newly elected executive body includes Pratap Singh Verma as Chairman, Bharat Bhushan Mohil as Vice Chairman, Ramesh Chauhan and Ravinder Thakur as Senior Vice Presidents, Ritu Thakur as Vice President, Vandana Bhardwaj as Joint Secretary, and Pankaj Sharma as Treasurer. Ankita, Aarti and Seema Thakur have been elected as executive members.
During the meeting, members stressed the need to promote judo across districts, schools and colleges in the state. The association also resolved to take up issues related to appointment of coaches, improvement of sports infrastructure, and better facilities for players with the government.
Concerns were also raised over pending grants for 2024–25 and 2025–26, along with reimbursement of expenses incurred during national competitions held in September 2023. The association decided to pursue these matters with the concerned authorities.
The newly elected body expressed commitment to strengthening judo in Himachal Pradesh and ensuring enhanced support for athletes.
