Who became the first Indian to be nominated as a member of the ITTF Umpires and Referees Committee (URC)?

Introduction / Context:
Table tennis governance at the international level comes under the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). Its Umpires and Referees Committee (URC) oversees the training, selection, and regulation of officials for international events. Being nominated as a member of this committee is a prestigious recognition. This question checks your awareness of the first Indian to achieve this honour.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The committee mentioned is the ITTF Umpires and Referees Committee (URC).
• The question asks for the first Indian nominated as a member of this committee.
• The options are four names associated with table tennis and sports administration: Raksheet Kota, Ganeshan Neelakanta Iyer, Pankaj Awasthi, and S. Sridhar.
• We assume the question refers to an appointment reported around 2017.

Concept / Approach:
This is a current affairs question about sports administration rather than an on field achievement. The correct fact is that Ganeshan Neelakanta Iyer became the first Indian to be nominated to the ITTF URC. His nomination reflects India's growing role not only in playing the sport but also in its global governance.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Focus on the keyword “first Indian” in connection with the ITTF URC. Step 2: Recall that news reports specifically named Ganeshan Neelakanta Iyer as the person achieving this milestone. Step 3: Examine the options provided and identify “Ganeshan Neelakanta Iyer”. Step 4: Select this option as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
Sports current affairs summaries often have a separate section on “first Indians in international bodies”. Under table tennis, you might have noted that G. Neelakanta Iyer joined the ITTF URC. Remembering his full name and linking it with URC is a good verification technique.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Raksheet Kota: Not recorded as the first Indian member of the ITTF URC.
• Pankaj Awasthi: No news reports match this name with the URC nomination.
• S. Sridhar: May be connected with sports, but not with this particular international committee milestone.

Common Pitfalls:
The names given in such questions can be confusing, and students may guess based on familiarity or regional bias. Another pitfall is to focus only on star players, ignoring the equally important administrative side of sports. Regularly revising a dedicated list of “first Indians in sports bodies” helps avoid these mistakes.

Final Answer:
The first Indian to be nominated as a member of the ITTF Umpires and Referees Committee was Ganeshan Neelakanta Iyer.