Asian Games long list, Chirag and the EFI selection mess
CHENNAI: The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) to include Chirag Khandal in the long list for the Asian Games that it submitted to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
Chirag, who may still be one of the youngest riders at the Asian Games, was dropped though he had met the Minimum Eligibility Requirement (MER) last year. He had argued that since he had met the requirement last year, he should have been part of the team like last year. To complicate matters, they have argued that even the selection committee is defunct.
What seems more baffling is the non-inclusion of Fouaad Mirza, multiple silver medallist at the 2018 Asian Games apart from being India’s lone participant in the sport at the Olympics in 2021. The tussle between the federation and Mirza over selection has been going on for more than a year now. While Mirza wanted to be selected on the basis of his performance in higher-rated competitions abroad, the EFI, for a long period of time, wanted him to come to India to give a selection trial in a 2-star or a 3-star meet.
Mirza, training in Germany, will not have any problem transporting his horse to China. His case is unique too. He has been competing in four-star events abroad and had said during an earlier interaction with this newspaper that he should be judged based on these performances. He had been insisting that transporting horses is not easy and also if he gets his horses here there will be quarantine issues. In any case, China doesn’t allow horses from India due to health regulations.
What is also puzzling is that the sports ministry and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) that runs the Target Olympic Podium Scheme, which pulls up federations for the slightest violation of the national sports code and even suspends them, are somehow silent on EFI that is left without a quorum in the executive committee. There are only three members in the EC out of 12.
The SAI had a meeting with the country’s best rider Mirza (the only TOPS-funded rider), who during an interview with this daily said he was unhappy over his non-selection in the long list, Shashank Singh Kataria and Chirag on Friday to hear their side of the story and has directed the EFI to find a ‘suitable decision’. According to a statement, SAI officials, including Shiv Sharma, Deputy Director General (DDG) on Friday interacted with Mirza, Khandal and Kataria virtually to understand their issues.
Chirag case
The EFI said that Chirag would not be considered for the Asian Games team based on last year’s MERs. Interestingly, the Delhi High Court had come down heavily on EFI in March and asked them to include him in the team. The EFI reviewed the order and Chirag had to approach the Supreme Court.
During the hearing on Friday, the bench, comprising Sanjiv Khanna and MM Sundresh, heard the petition and as an interim relief, directed the EFI to include him in the team. “As an interim order and without prejudice to the rights and contentions of the respondents, we direct that respondent no.1 - EFI will include the name of the petitioner – Chirag Khandal in the provisional list which is to be issued/sent on or before 20.05.2023,” said the order.
The athletes and executive committee members had approached the IOA athletes commission and requested them to intervene as early as possible. The IOA athletes commission has considered the request and wrote to the IOA to form an ad hoc panel to run the federation. The EFI, which did not have an executive committee meeting for months, apparently has not gotten in touch with Chirag until evening.
The Delhi HC too was critical of the EFI’s selection policy earlier. “After examining the conduct of the EFI throughout the present proceedings, this Court is of the prima facie opinion that EFI succeeded in their vicious approach to eliminate the best candidates by acting in a completely capricious and arbitrary manner while discharging its responsibilities,” the court had said in March.