Badminton body gets tough with players committing age fraud
Strict measures by the Badminton Association of India (BAI) to check the menace of age fraud in junior category have forced many shuttlers to either quit the game or stop participating in junior events. The BAI has reportedly prepared a list of such players across the country and asked the respective state units to take “special measures”.
Following a report by the Central Bureau of Investigation, which found that the top-four juniors of the country allegedly altered their age records to compete in various tournaments last year, the BAI, in its circular, has asked all the age-group players who have not registered their date of birth within 12 months from their birth will have to undergo medical examination.
In its confidential preliminary report, a copy of which is with the Hindustan Times, the CBI found that manipulation in birth certificates was consciously done by the parents ofChirag Sen (BAI ID No 2304), Laa Talar (BAI ID No 2681), Akash Yadav (BAI ID No 5333) and C Rahul Yadav (BAI ID No 1461).
“The medical test report has to be submitted to the BAI secretary within 30 days from the issue of the letter by the BAI head office,” the circular said. “Such tests are mandatory in all sports as per the guidelines of the Government of India,” secretary, BAI, Anup Narang said on Thursday.
“We have our mechanism to keep an eye on age fraud. In each age-group tournament, we take up the issue as soon as it comes to us. It is a continuous process and we will continue with this unless we eradicate this menace,” said Narang.
Narang, however, admitted that due to strict measures, many junior shuttlers, allegedly committing age fraud, had stopped playing. “If we find a player who does not belong to the age category, we bar them from playing. All these players are juvenile and there are few penal provisions in our country which can be enforced against them, We, however, need to understand that young players have got their entire life ahead of them so we have to give them an opportunity to correct themselves by warning them,” Narang said.
Chief national coach Pullela Gopichand had recently raised concerns over age fraud “This is hurting promising players,” Gopi was quoted as saying.