HC orders AFI to consider Shankar

New Delhi, June 22: The Delhi High Court Wednesday directed the Selection Committee to consider on merits the case of athlete Tejaswin Shankar, a high jumper who has been excluded from participating in the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

The high court said Shankar’s non-participation in the interstate championship shall not be the sole criteria for rejecting him and observed that he is a “medal prospect” and there should not be an ego issue.

Justice Jasmeet Singh issued notice and sought a response of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, and the Selection Committee of the AFI for the senior category on the petition.

The plea sought to direct the AFI not to disqualify Shankar from participating at the CWG 2022 based on non-attendance at the Interstate Senior Athletics Championships, and be allowed to participate based on having met the qualifying standard at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships.

“These are record holders and you don’t let them go... He (Shankar) is a medal prospect. Let it not be an ego problem,” the court said.

The court was informed by advocate Parth Goswami representing AFI and Selection Committee, that the final list of athletes has already been prepared and submitted to Indian Olympics Association. To this, the court directed that “the Selection Committee shall consider the case of Shankar on merits of his jumps and his non-participation in the interstate championship shall not be the sole criteria for rejecting his candidature”.