Jeevan Ram Shrestha was re-elected Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) president for a third term on Saturday in an election conducted digitally due to the government’s ‘illegal intervention’.
Shrestha was unanimously elected for the role after securing all 20 votes. He will continue to serve the NOC since being elected for the first time in 2015.
The election was held solely for the position of President among the 19 members of the NOC Executive Committee.
Prior to this, all other EB positions were elected unopposed where seven vice presidents— Jyoti Rana, Chaturananda Rajvaidya, Ashok Ratna Bajracharya, Gopal Sundar Lal Kakshapati, Prakash Shamsher Rana, Dawa Gurung, and Anil Prasad Sharma.
“This election was held amid various obstacles,” Shrestha said. “It should have been conducted before December as per the instructions of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
“I would like to thank my friends for their trust in me. I will always be grateful for this support. I want to express my commitment for more work for the development of Nepali sports in my tenure.”
Shrestha, a former parliamentarian, further mentioned that the stay order issued by the Patan High Court was not against the election.
The NOC had not received the Supreme Court’s interim order to stay the election until late Friday.
The nomination was digitally collected on December 23. His rival General Secretary Nilendra Raj Shrestha did not participate in the election.
A total of 27 affiliated associations of the NOC voted in the elections along with representatives from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) participating.