The gymnastics selection for the upcoming Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast, Australia, took a new twist with the International Gymnastics Federation telling the Indian Olympic Association that the registration and selection of athletes for the Games was the prerogative of the national federation.
The IOA had appointed a selection committee to pick the six-member team for the CWG and held trials in New Delhi from February 12-14. Though the team was never announced officially there were murmurs that one of the top gymnasts, Rakesh Patra, was left out of the squad.
Patra, along with Ashish Kumar, are widely touted as the only two medal prospects from India. Kumar had won a silver and bronze in the 2010 Games in New Delhi, while Dipa Karmakar bagged a bronze in the 2014 edition in Glasgow.
What was most appalling in the entire process was that the IOA had appointed its vice president and Indian Lawn Bowling Federation president Sunaina Kumari as the chairperson of the selection committee despite her having very little knowledge of the sport. In fact, head coach GS Bawa was the only member of the selection panel with any kind of gymnastics background.
The Gymnastics Federation of India has been mired in factionalism for the past few years. While the world body recognises the faction led by Sudhakar Shetty in India, the IOA and the sports ministry do not recognise any group. The Sports Authority of India has been directly assisting the gymnasts in training and organising exposure tours.
“While we fully recognise that it is the prerogative of the IOC to register the gymnasts for the Olympic Games and the Youth Olympic Games, this is not the case for the Commonwealth Games,” the world body wrote to IOA president Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra on Ferbuary 28, 2018. “The registration and selection of the gymnasts who participate at the Commonwealth Games is the prerogative of the National Gymnastics Federation.”
“We therefore kindly request that according to the Olympic Charter and your own Constitution, you respect the autonomy of our Gymnastics Federation and let them select and decide the Gymnasts they wish to register for Commonwealth Games,” the letter, signed by FIG president Morinari Watanabe and secretary general Andre Gueisbuhler, added.
The Gymnastics Federation of India was quick to react and have now selected their own team in which they have named Patra and Yogeshwar Singh in the men’s section along with Ashish Kumar. Both IOA and the federation have picked the same women’s team comprising world cup bronze medallist Aruna Budda Reddy, Pranati Nayak and Pranati Das.
According to IOA’s selection committee report which is in possession of The Field, MD Bobby and Gaurav Kumar were to accompany Ashish to Gold Coast.
However, the Gymnastic Federation of India has insisted that the two gymnasts were not even eligible to participate in CWG.
“IOA is trying to register 2 gymnasts in the Men’s section other than Rakesh Patra and Yogeshwar Singh. However those 2 gymnasts are not even eligible since they do not hold a valid FIG Licence ID which is mandatory for participation in CWG 2018. If IOA does not make registration as per above list then 2 crucial quota places would be wasted and it would be a great loss for our country and to the sport of Gymnastics,” Gymnastic Federation of India general secretary Ranjeet Vasava said in a statement.
It now remains to be seen which team is ultimately sent to the Games which begin in Australia from April 5, 2018. The last date to send the entries is March 7.