By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Veteran shooter, Olympian and sports administrator Raja Randhir Singh passed away in New Delhi on May 27 after battling age-related ailments. He was 79.
With his death, Indian sports lost one of its most influential administrators and a pioneering figure in shooting.
Born into the royal family of Patiala in 1946, Randhir Singh dedicated his life to sports both on and off the field. A five-time Olympian, he represented India in shooting at the Olympic Games from 1968 to 1984 and became the country’s first Asian Games gold medallist in shooting after winning the trap event at the 1978 Bangkok Asian Games. He also clinched silver and bronze medals at the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi.
Randhir Singh belonged to a family deeply associated with Indian sports administration. His father, Raja Bhalindra Singh, was a former president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), while his uncle Maharaja Yadavindra Singh played a key role in organising the first Asian Games in Delhi in 1951.
Known for his blunt style and administrative acumen, Randhir Singh served as Secretary General of the IOA for nearly 25 years and later rose to become President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), becoming the first Indian to head the continental body. He had also served as acting president of the OCA since 2021 before being formally elected in 2024.
Tributes poured in from across the sporting world, with the National Rifle Association of India describing him as a “distinguished Olympian and respected sports administrator.”
Randhir Singh is survived by his family and leaves behind a towering legacy in Indian and Asian sports administration.
Indian Olympic Association President P T Usha also mourned the death of Randhir Singh. “My heart fills with sadness on the passing away of Shri Raja Randhir Singh ji, a dear friend and an extraordinary human who took India to new heights in sports in Asia and around the world. We have lost an exceptional leader & his irreplaceable wisdom,” Usha wrote on X.