Singh began his sports administration career in 1984, when he was elected to the IOA as a joint secretary. In the election, Singh received 101 votes, which was the highest amongst all the candidates. He served as a member of the IOC from 2001 to 2014, and has been an honorary member of the IOC since 2014. Singh has served on the following commissions: Olympic Games Study from 2002 to 2003, Sport for All since 2004, Women and Sport since 2006, Coordination for the
1st Summer Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in 2010 and the
Olympic Truce Foundation since 2007.
2010 Commonwealth Games Singh was instrumental in bringing the
2010 Commonwealth Games to Delhi and was the Vice Chairman of the Organizing Committee. He was the only senior office bearer of the controversial Organizing Committee who had a clean image. Reportedly, the clashes had reached the extent where
Manmohan Singh, then-
Prime Minister of India, had to be informed by the head of the
Commonwealth Games, Mike Fennell. In September 2021, Singh was appointed the Acting President of the OCA. In May 2022, after the OCA Executive Board meeting in
Tashkent,
Uzbekistan, he stated that the 2022 Asian Games will be postponed to 2023 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in China. During his trip to Uzbekistan, Singh met with senior Uzbek politicians, which included
Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov, at the Palace of International Forums for a celebration to mark the 30th anniversary of ANOC. In October 2022, Singh in the OCA General Assembly meeting in
Phnom Penh,
Cambodia, said that the state of the OCA has now normalised post the COVID-19 pandemic. At the 2022 OCA General Assembly, Singh was one of the signatories that signed the contract to host the
2029 Asian Winter Games held in Trojena,
NEOM,
Saudi Arabia. Also in October 2022, Singh spoke at the OCA's first-ever Gender Equity Seminar in
Manama,
Bahrain. At the 11th Olympic Summit in December 2022, Singh argued that restrictions on Russian and Belarusian athletes no longer applied in Asia and offered for the OCA to host them in regional events while upholding
sanctions stemming from the
Russo-Ukrainian war. The IOC later accepted this proposal, allowing both nations’ athletes to compete neutrally in OCA competitions to qualify for the
2024 Paris Olympics, with separate medals and quotas. Despite criticism from Ukraine’s
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the OCA confirmed their neutral participation in the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games under the same conditions. On 8 July 2023, Singh was succeeded by Sheikh Talal Fahad Al Ahmad Al-Sabah, brother of Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, as President of the OCA, who was elected to the position at the 42nd OCA General Assembly in Bangkok. However, on 30 July 2023, the IOC sent a letter to Singh, in which the IOC asked him to continue as the Acting President of the OCA while they investigated the 2023 OCA presidential election. The IOC alleged that Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah had interfered and tampered with the election, and the IOC had therefore refused to recognise the electoral results. On 22 September 2023, he met with
Chinese leader and
General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping, and other members of the
Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party which included
Cai Qi,
Ding Xuexiang,
Wang Yi and State councillor
Shen Yiqin, one day before the opening of the games. On 8 October 2023, Singh declared the 19th Asian Games closed in the presence of
Chinese premier Li Qiang and other dignitaries during the closing ceremony. In December 2023, the OCA's member NOCs ratified by a two-thirds majority to nullify the OCA presidential elections that took place in July 2023. Singh continues in his position as the Acting President of the OCA until constitutional reforms are implemented and a new elective Congress is held. In July 2024, the OCA's Election Committee unanimously approved the election of Singh as the next President of the OCA. He was nominated by the NOC of India and supported by 27 OCA Member NOCs, as he was the sole eligible candidate nominated for the presidential election at the OCA General Assembly on 8 September 2024. On 8 September 2024, Singh was unanimously elected as the President of the OCA and became the first Indian to become president of the organisation. == Awards ==