India Taekwondo picks team despite court order, won't use India flag

Vinayak Padmadeo

New Delhi, March 29

Taekwondo athletes in India, feeling cheated due to a suspect selection process, are upset and some of them are starting to wonder whether to continue in the sport at all.

India Taekwondo (IT), an unregistered National Sports Federation headed by Namdev Shirgaonkar, has circumvented a Delhi High Court directive and has registered a 40-member team to participate at the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships, which starts in Goyang (South Korea) on April 21.

Since the federation is unrecognised, Indian athletes will compete under the World Taekwondo flag. Interestingly, India’s top ranked athletes Rahul Jain and Rupa Bayor, who won the country’s first ever bronze and silver medals in Senior Individual and Pair categories in the Poomsae event, will not be part of the meet.

A Delhi High Court order dated February 15 had barred IT from conducting trials to select the team as the body is not recognised despite being in existence for almost two years.

The order notwithstanding, IT held the trials and registered Indian athletes for the event. The players who skipped the meet – including Jain and Bayor – have been left to fend for themselves as they are caught between the court’s directive and IT’s diktat.

Efforts to reach Shirgaonkar for his comments were in vain.

A few players even approached the Sports Ministry and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) in the hope that the confusion could be cleared, but they have not received any assurance.

“A majority of the players stayed away from the trials because of the court’s directives. India Taekwondo went ahead and now some of those players have been registered under World Taekwondo’s flag,” said a coach. “A few of us approached the Sports Ministry and SAI but they have not done anything to safeguard the players’ interests. We feel cheated,” he added.

Officials from the Sports Ministry and the SAI were not available for comments.

No reprieve

On March 15, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) secretary general Rajeev Mehta wrote a letter saying it would take the responsibility of holding the trials.

“…IOA shall take the responsibility for selection of athletes for participation in international competitions and submission of entries of India teams and sports persons to the concerned international federation,” Mehta wrote.

SAI officials then approached a few of the players to appear for an online trial for the Asian Games. “All this letter writing is nothing but an exercise to shift responsibilities. The players who have been working hard for a year-and-a-half are wondering whether to continue. They don’t see a future for themselves,” said a source.