AFI President issues open letter, explains why athletes were excluded from India squad for IAAF World Championships

What’s the story?

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) on Wednesday came under severe criticism for their decision to exclude three gold medallists in the Indian contingent slated to travel to London for the IAAF World Championships.

Now, the apex athletics committee has issued an open letter regarding the matter. President of AFI, Adille J. Sumariwalla took to Facebook late in the evening to address the allegations and complaints made against AFI in the last couple of days.

In case you did not know

Controversy erupted when three gold medal winners from the recently concluded Asian Athletics Championship (AAC) - Sudha Singh (3000m Steeplechase), Ajay Kumar Saroj (Men's 1500 m) and Chitra PU (Women's 1500m) were unscrupulously left out of the contingent.

While AFI cited subpar performances, others have questioned these notable exclusions. Runner Chitra PU and her coach also moved court regarding her exclusion.

The heart of the matter

Addressing to the ongoing debate, the open letter by AFI emphasized that the Indian contingent was decided by imminent personalities with unquestionable integrity. To assure a level of transparency, the association also released a logbook of the rejected athletes with their corresponding remarks denoting their sub-par performances.

Also, during the felicitation ceremony of Indian medal winners of the AAC 2017, all the athletes were given a heads up regarding the selection process for the IAAF World Championship. Presided by C.K Valson and Chief Coach Shri Bahadur Singh, the athletes were informed that they needed to participate in the Inter State Championships in Guntur and put up performances close to IAAF Qualifying standards.

Apart from the athletes, there have been questions regarding the officials and coaches selected in the contingent. National coaches like Bahadur Singh and Radha Krishnan Nair, who are supervisors at national camps have been given preference over players' coaches like Jayakumar. The letter also addressed the issue and explained how the official and coaches quota works.

What's next?

It doesn't seem like the controversy will die down anytime soon and while reasons for the player exclusions have been made public, it is unlikely that the matter will be put to bed with this post.

Author’s take

There have been several registered cases over the years related to nepotism and discrimination while recruiting or selecting a professional in sports. The coaching staff is integral to any team and it’s utterly important for them to be knowledgeable and helpful when in need.