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| HC directs inclusion of specially-abled tennis player in training camp for Deaflympics in reserved category | | | agencies
NEW DELHI, Mar 28: The Delhi High Court has directed the Sport Authority of India (SAI) and the All India Sports Council of the Deaf (AISCD) to include a woman tennis player in the upcoming training camp for physically challenged athletes in the category of reserves for the Brazil Deaflympics.
However, her right to participate in the Deaflympics would arise only in the eventuality of one of the selected team members being rendered unfit to participate in the event, the high court said.
The court order came on a petition by specially-abled lawn tennis player Kirti Lata challenging the decision of authorities to take only 2+2 men and women players for tennis teams for the Brazil Deaflympics in place of the minimum 4+4 players.
It was further submitted that since the training camp for the upcoming event is to commence shortly, the petitioner shall also be included in that training camp so that she is fully equipped and ready to participate in the Olympics in case of an eventuality contemplated above arising.
''Accordingly and for all the aforesaid reasons, this petition shall stand disposed of with a direction to the respondent nos. 2 (SAI) and 3 (All India Sports Council of the Deaf) to include the petitioner in the upcoming training camp for physically challenged athletes, Justice Yashwant Varma said.
The petitioner sought inclusion of her name in the list of participants selected for the lawn tennis teams for the camp scheduled from March last week to enable her to participate in the Deaflympics to be held in Brazil from May 1 to 15.
After perusing the relevant rules, the court noted that it stipulates the maximum' number of athletes that may be selected and allocated to each of the Councils and that there does not appear to be a mandatory obligation placed upon the Council to necessarily select four athletes for this event.
The court noted that the provision also contemplated reserve and substitute athletes to be selected for each event.
On this, the counsel for petitioner drew the court's attention to the relevant rule which contemplated at least two men and women athletes for the singles and two men and women athletes for the doubles events being enlisted. This requirement appeared to exist to take care of a situation where one or more of the selected athletes are either injured or otherwise rendered unfit to participate in the event, the court noted.
The provision clearly not only appears to be logical but also imperative in character when one bears in mind the vagaries of sporting events and the possibility of one or more of the selected players getting injured or being rendered unfit to play. Even if one of the selected candidates were to be injured, the team would be unable to participate in the doubles event.
"As this court takes into consideration the selection of two athletes alone as has been made by the third respondent (Council), it is evident that no reserves have been provisioned for the event. It would appear to be wholly illogical for the respondents not to make a provision for a reserve or substitute player, the judge said.
The lawyer for the Council submitted that only in a situation where the selected players of lawn tennis are either injured or are rendered unfit to participate in the Olympics, would the right of the petitioner to participate arise.
In light of the position obtained by her in the trials, she would be eligible to be placed in the category of a reserve or substitute to be called upon to participate in case of an eventuality where one of the selected athletes is unable to participate, the lawyer said.
The petitioner had said the selection trials were conducted on February 24 and 25 by authorities in which she secured third place and was asked to give photographs and other documents. Later, she was told that only two men and two women players out of the initial list prepared of minimum 4+4 players will be allowed to join the one-month long preparation camp for participation in the Deaflympics-2021, the petitioner, represented through advocates Sanjay Agarwal and Gurpreet Kaur, has said.
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