Dahalan Al Hamad new AAA president

Susanthika and GLS to committees:

Prince Gunasekara reporting from Pune

Qatar’s Dahalan Al Hamad elected as the new Asian Athletic Association (AAA) president ending 13-year long stand of AAA’s presidency by India’s Suresh Kalmadi at the AAA general election held in Pune, India yesterday.

Hamad, a IAAF Vice President and a former AAA’s Senior Vice President defeated disgraced Kalmadi by two votes. Kalmadi has been in jail for nine months on corruption charges swirled around the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

Sri Lanka Athletic Association Secretary Prema Pinnawela lost his battle for Executive Committee membership this year obtaining 19 votes out of 45. Local Olympic star Susanthika Jayasinghe has elected to the AAA Women’s Committee while the other Sri Lankan candidate G.L.S. Perera was elected to the Cross Country and Marathon Committee for the second time.

Singapore’s Maurice Nicholas was re-elected as the AAA’s Secretary for the second term.

The opening ceremony of the 20th Asian Athletic Championship will be held today at the Shiva Chatrapathi Stadium, Pune with Maharashta State Chief Minister Prithiviraj Chauhan participating as the chief guest. Over 650 athletes from 43 countries are expected at the opening ceremony and many specialties are included at the grand opening as AAA celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.