New Delhi, July 21: The Indian badminton squad that won the mixed team bronze medal at the ongoing World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany has been hit by a controversy over selection after six of the 12 chosen players were barred from participating due to an alleged administrative lapse.
Twelve players were selected and sent to represent India, but only six were allowed to compete as officials failed to submit all names correctly during the managers' meeting on July 16.
"This is not just mismanagement – it's career sabotage. We demand answers, accountability, and that our voices be heard. We didn't lose a match – we lost our right to even participate," wrote Alisha Khan, one of the players left out, on Instagram.
"This isn't just a mistake. It's career sabotage by AIU and our team officials. We demand justice."
According to sources, BV Rao and Ajit Mohan were the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) officials who attended the meeting. The AIU, which is the nodal body for university-level sports in the country, acknowledged the incident.
"We have been informed about this and the matter is being investigated," AIU Secretary Dr Pankaj Mittal told PTI while refusing to comment any further.
According to a source, the issue was not just an error but stemmed from "systematic irregularities" starting from the selection trials held at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), Bhubaneswar.
"During the managers' meeting, officials were given a letter listing all 12 players from India. It was their responsibility to read it carefully, check for missing or injured players, and confirm or adjust the names accordingly. However, they took it lightly," the source said.
"The names of players who hadn't attended trials were there. They came here only to enjoy. In the meeting, they also made a basic mistake. They were supposed to declare which player would play singles, doubles, and mixed, but didn’t process it properly."
Saneeth Dayanand, Sathish Kumar Karunakaran, Devika Sihag, Tasnim Mir, Varshini Viswanath Sri, and Vaishnavi Khadkekar were the six who competed in the mixed team event. (PTI)
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