4 days after sending off the Asian Para Games, India is yet to announce the official team
Four days after the sports ministry officially sent the contingent to the Asian Games in Delhi, the official team for the event is still awaited. Although many athletes are already leaving for Japan for the continental games being held in Nagoya, the authorities have not yet officially released the list of names.
Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) signed off the contingent on Thursday, October 8. Para-badminton star Pramod Bhagat and para-table tennis player Bhavina Patel were announced as India’s flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the Asian Para Games.
The delay comes amid protests by para-athletes against the selection process, with para-shooters citing irregularities in the selection of the Indian contingent. The elimination ceremony itself was overshadowed by demonstrations by the shooters, who contested their exclusion from the team and made allegations of corruption and manipulation against the officials.
The Asian Para Games will be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan from October 18 to 24.
SELECT CHECK APPLIES TO SHADOW
The Para-shooters intensified their protest during the elimination ceremony, gathering outside the venue with placards and demanding answers to their exclusion from the Indian team. Among the protestors were Sandeep Kumar and Akash who questioned why they were left out despite their ratings and performances.
In a statement submitted to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) director general, the athletes alleged that they are being pressured to pay a certain percentage of their government prize money as a condition for selection.
The national team alleged that athletes were forced to pay a 20 percent commission on their approved government prize money to designated office bearers as a precondition for selection.
The shooters also challenged the appointment of an individual as technical expert and director of operations, claiming that the individual had no record of participation in official competitive shooting.
Sandeep, a P4 50m SH1 free pistol shooter, said he was aggrieved by what he described as arbitrary decisions and violations of selection rules. He questioned the selection of Rudrankksh Khandelwal, arguing that his own Asian rating along with that of Akash should put them ahead in the selection process.
Meanwhile, Akash claimed that his credentials were disregarded as he did not appoint shooting coach Jai Prakash Nautiyal as his coach.
PCI denied the allegations, saying the team was selected on merit.
MINISTER TO ADDRESS ATHLETES’ CONCERNS
The sports ministry said Mandaviya would meet the protesting para-shooters on Friday to address their concerns, including allegations of corruption and irregularities in the selection process.
Acknowledging the seriousness of the allegations, a ministry source said the problems went beyond selection for the Asian Para Games and pointed to wider institutional concerns in para-shooting.
“There is little that can be done now to make any changes to the contingent. But these are very serious allegations and cannot be simply dismissed without a thorough understanding of what is going on,” the source said.
The protests were not limited to para-shooting. Six para-cyclists, who were left out of the contingent for not meeting the selection criteria, also staged a demonstration at the SAI headquarters.
Paralympian Arshad Shaik was the only cyclist to get approval from the Games Ministry. This year, he finished fourth among nine athletes at the Asian Para Road Championship and fifth in a field of eight athletes in the 1km time trial at the Asian Para Track Championship.
With the final items already submitted, changes to the contingent seem unlikely. But the protests have raised questions about the selection process even as India prepares to open the Games in Japan.
The absence of an officially released squad list four days after the decommissioning ceremony adds to the uncertainty surrounding the build-up to India’s campaign.
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