New Delhi: In a major boost to the development of Indian sports and athletics in particular, Olympian and President of the Athletics Federation of India, Adille J. Sumariwalla has been elected to the coveted IAAF Council at the ongoing IAAF Congress earlier today in Beijing.

Sumariwalla has been elected as one of the nine individual members of the all-prestigious IAAF Council at the 50th Congress of the world athletics body a day ahead of the IAAF World Athletics Championships. Sumariwalla, a former 11-time National sprint champion, bagged 61 votes in the second round to get elected to the IAAF Council. There were 39 candidates overall in the fray for the 9 seats as an individual member from 214 member federations.

On this occasion, Sumariwalla said in a statement from Beijing, “This (election to the IAAF Council) is a tribute to the trust that India enjoys in the globe today. I thank all the members of the athletics fraternity in India, my colleagues in the Athletics Federation of India for extending their indefatigable support for my campaign, my friends from all the Member-nation who reposed their faith in me and the newly-elected IAAF President, Lord Sebastian Coe. This will further inspire me to strengthen Indian athletics and take it to greater heights."

Sumariwalla’s accomplishments as an ace Indian athlete from the 1970s-1980 are held in high esteem in the Indian Sub-continent and he has also proven to be a sports administrator par excellence.