Abu Metha, the Adviser to Chief Minister, Nagaland, and Chairman of Investments and Development Authority of Nagaland (IDAN), has been elected as Vice President of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) for the term 2025-2029. Metha had earlier held the post of Associate Vice President of AFI for the term 2021-2024.

Nagaland Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio, has congratulated Abu Metha on his election to the prestigious position. In a post on X platform, Rio wished Metha “a successful tenure in advancing athletics in India”, while also extending appreciation to the AFI and the sports community for the support. Further, he offered best wishes to the new team.

Meanwhile, Metha commented on a post on the X platform that he was “humbled and greatly motivated to work harder for the cause of sports and to serve the nation and help create opportunities for our youth.”

AFI’s outgoing President, Adille J. Sumariwalla, announced the new office bearers on 7 January 2025. He informed that Bahadur Singh was unanimously elected as the new President during the election which was conducted at Chandigarh under the supervision of Justice (Retd.) Raj Shekhar Attri.

He also noted that more than 50 percent of the newly appointed Executive Committee members are former renowned athletes whose “collective expertise will undoubtedly contribute to strengthening the future of Indian athletics.”

The new office bearers of AFI 2025-2029 are:

President: Bahadur Singh

Senior Vice President: Anju Bobby George

Vice Presidents: Abu Metha, Jayanta Mala Baruah, A.K. Sharma

Secretary: Sandeep Mehta

Senior Joint Secretary: S. Srinibas Patnaik

Joint Secretary: Sharat Chandra Singh, Jyotirmoyee Sikdar, Finley L Pariat

Treasurer: B.E. Stanley Jones

Executive Council Members: Harjinder Singh Gill, Sharda Devi Jadam, Priyanka Bhanot, Rachita Mistry, A. Rajavelu, K. Sarangapani