KABADDI PLAYERS SEEK COURT HELP FOR ASIAN GAMES TEAM SELECTION

NEW DELHI: Four days after the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) announced the contingent for the Asian Games, trouble is brewing over the final selection of the kabaddi teams – men and women – which had fetched both the gold medals at the 2014 Games at Incheon.

Two Arjuna awardees in kabaddi, C Homonappa and S Rajrathanam, have filed a Public Interest Litigation i n the Supreme Court seeking appointment of an interim committee to oversee the selection process for the Games. The petitioners have alleged t hat t he Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI), which is being headed by Mridul Gehlot --- wife of former president Janardhan Singh Gehlot --- could influence the selection process. “Since the Gehlot family has been running the show for long, they could influence the selection. The selection panel should be headed by a retired high court or Supreme Court judge. Former international players should be member of the panel,” the petitioner said.

The petitioners’ lawyer Bharat Nagar said that a notice had been delivered to the sports ministry, the IOA and the federation by hand. However, the federation’s assistant secretary Deoraj Chaturvedi said he was unaware of any notice. “Since I haven’t received any court notice, I can’t give a statement,” Chaturvedi said from Jaipur. “None of the probables in the camp have complained about biased selection.”

Chaturvedi said the federation had conducted three camps ahead of the trials. The fourth and final camp will be held shortly. “We are waiting for the ministry’s approval,” he added.

In the first phase of the camp, 44 players were selected. The list was pruned down to 28 in the second and 21 in the third camp. The final camp will commence from July 15. Chaturvedi said that since AKFI is recognised by the ministry and the IOA, legally it is the right of the federation to select the team. “The final selection will be from among the 21 shortlisted players only,” he added.