Para shooting competitors have alleged that corruption and bias took place in the selection of the Indian shooting team for the Asian Para Games to be held in Japan.
During the event in Delhi on Thursday, attended by the Union Sports Minister, to send off the Indian team for the Asian Para Games, they staged a protest outside.
Even before the event began, the competitors had started their protest, and officials including Indian Paralympic Committee president Devendra Jhajharia held talks with them and requested that they call off the protest. However, they refused to accept it and continued their agitation.
Para shooting competitors Aakash and Sandeep Kumar, who took part in the protest, said:
According to the central ministry’s guidelines, only competitors ranked in the top 6 in the respective sports should be considered for selection for the Asian Games.
In para shooting, we are the top-ranked in Asia (Aakash is ranked first, Sandeep third). But instead of us, Rudransh Khandelwal, who is ranked 14th, has been selected.
Those selected for the Asian Games are not even players who have competed at the international level. Their scores in the national selection trials have also been shown higher than they actually are. We have evidence for that.
Because we did not mention Jaiprakash Nautiyal as our coach, he has excluded us from the selection for the competitions. Nautiyal, who helps secure a place in the team for the competitions, is asking that 20 percent of the government prize money meant for them be given to him.
All international wild card opportunities are being allotted only to those who pay bribes. If bribes are not paid in that way, the relevant wild card opportunities are sent back.
Officials who have no connection at all with para shooting are in charge of the administration. They said they submitted these complaints to the Director of the Sports Authority of India on Wednesday and have sought an urgent high-level inquiry.
Plan to protest: Meanwhile, for the Asian Para Games, seven names had been recommended in the para cycling category, but it is said that only one person was selected by the Union Ministry, while the others were ignored. They said they also plan to join the protest over this issue.
Sidebar 1
‘Selections based on rules’
The selection of athletes for the Asian Para Games was conducted strictly on the basis of the rules framed by the Indian Paralympic Committee, the Union Sports Ministry, and the Sports Authority of India, said Indian Paralympic Committee president Devendra Jhajharia.
Jhajharia said that, rather than based on past performances, only those who have currently met the selection criteria have been chosen. He also said that the shortcomings of the competitors currently in contention will be heard and addressed.