However, they were not a part of the trials for the Asian Championship 2023 which will take place in Astana, Kazakhstan, in April 2023.
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The Delhi High Court has allowed five wrestlers to participate in the trials for the Asian Championship 2023. The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) will be conducting these trials. The wrestlers had filed a petition challenging their exclusion from the trials, citing arbitrary and unfair selection criteria. Justice Prathiba M Singh, who presided over the hearing, noted that the decision to allow the petitioners to participate in the trials did not reflect the court’s opinion on their merit. The selection committee will make the final decision.
The five petitioners, Anuj Kumar, Chander Mohan, Vijay, Ankit, and Sachin Mor, had won medals and positions in national and international events. However, they were not a part of the trials for the Asian Championship which will take place in Astana, Kazakhstan, in April 2023. They claimed that the selection criteria adopted by the Wrestling Federation of India were arbitrary and unfair. This might lead to the admission of inferior or at best on-par wrestlers for the trials.
Advocate Rahul Rathore represented the petitioners, who wanted to be allowed to participate in the trials. The Central government’s standing counsel, Manish Mohan, who represented the Ministry and WFI, submitted that the the Oversight Committee of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports had fixed the selection criteria in January 2023. The oversight committee comprised celebrated wrestlers such as Yogeshwar Dutt and Babita Phogat. Mohan argued that the petitioners did not meet the criteria established by the committee.
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The petitioners argued that the National Games, in which they had won medals, were more prestigious than the Senior National Championships conducted by the WFI. However, only medal winners from the latter were admitted into the trials. The petition claimed that most of the wrestlers selected for the trials had been defeated by Anuj Kumar in the National Games and otherwise. Similarly, Chander Mohan, Vijay, Ankit, and Sachin Mor, who had won medals in national and international championships, had been unfairly excluded by the selection criteria adopted by the federation.
The high court noted that the trials for the 2023 Asian Championship were critical in the careers of top-level sportspersons and for ensuring that top-level athletes were promoted to bring glory to the country. The court observed that the purpose of any trial was to ensure the best sportspersons participated and that the exclusion of the National Games and other recognised events was not clear at this stage. It asked the Ministry and WFI to file a short affidavit explaining the basis of the selection criteria within two weeks.
The court found that the selection criteria excluded a large number of winners and medallists in national and international games, and the reason for their exclusion was not evident. The court listed the petition for further hearing on April 5. The high court’s decision to allow the petitioners to participate in the trials has given them a fair chance to prove their mettle and earn a place in the Asian Championship.
The court’s decision has also highlighted the need for transparent and objective selection criteria to ensure that deserving sportspersons are not unfairly excluded from trials and championships. The oversight committee appointed by the Ministry must ensure that the selection criteria are fair, objective, and transparent. It is also important to not miss out on deserving sportspersons. The committee must also take into account the performances of sportspersons in all recognized events like national and international games. This is to ensure that the best sportspersons are selected for trials and championships.
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