Mary Kom resigns as IOA Athletes Commission chairperson

The 2012 London Olympics bronze medallist Mary Kom, on Monday, resigned from her post as the chairperson of Indian Olympic Association's Athletes Commission.

She has also stepped down as the executive member of the top Olympic sports regulatory body in the country.

As per a report in Hindustan Times, Kom announced her decision via a text message in the Athletes Commission Whatsapp group. 

"I had a good time with IOA," she wrote. "IOA was a good experience of my life.

"I am sorry to share that I have decided to over my responsibilities with IOA and I am resigning," the six-time world champion added.

Kom is yet to send in any official letter to the Indian Olympic Association about the same. 

The Athletes commission, consisting of ten members, was formed in November 2022 when PT Usha was elected as the first woman president of the Indian Olympic Association. 

Table Tennis veteran Achanta Sharath Kamal is the vice-chairperson of the athletes commission which also includes the likes of Om Prakash Karhana, Shiva Kesavan, Gagan Narang, Bajrang Lal, Bhavani Devi, Rani Rampal, and PV Sindhu. 

India's first individual gold medallist at the Olympics, Abhinav Bindra, is the ex-officio member of the body.

This is not the first time Kom has stepped down from an important position. Last year, she had stepped down as the chef-de-mission of the Indian contingent for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

"I regret that I will not be able to uphold the prestigious responsibility and would like to resign, owing to personal reasons," Kom had then written in a letter to IOA president PT Usha.