'Who is to be blamed?': Paid Rs 2.5 lakh to represent India, dream snatched by admin mistake

Time of India

7 days ago

Devyaniba Zala is a U-23 National Champion. (Instagram)
Indian sprinter Devyaniba Zala was unable to participate in the 400m race at the World University Games after her name disappeared from the start list upon arrival at the venue, despite being initially included in the official entry list.
The 23-year-old athlete from Saurashtra, who had been preparing for over a year and had paid Rs 2.5 lakhs to participate, missed her opportunity due to late alterations made by officials in submitting the confirmation list.
The incident came to light through Devyaniba's Instagram post where she shared evidence of her name in the official entry list, along with a scribbled pen writing that struck out another athlete's name to include hers.
She also shared communication from the Kalinga Institute of Technology regarding the substantial participation fee.
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"I have been preparing for this event for over a year and was in good shape to clock a PB and make it to the 400m final and do something special. But when the start list for Day 1 came out last evening, my name in the entry went missing from the 400m women's list," Devyaniba wrote on her Instagram post.
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Athlete Devyaniba Zala in an Instagram post.
The athlete, who holds a personal best of 53.17 seconds achieved in April, expressed her frustration with the officials' handling of the situation.
"The official of the team tells me that the date and time for submission are over, and we are trying. But when it is a global competition, how can a world committee accept an entry which is scribbled and written with a pen?" Devyaniba questioned.
"It might be very casual for the officials, but not to me, being an athlete who has missed the entry this way at the global competition," Devyaniba added.
Devyaniba Zala showcased the fees paid to represent India at the World University Games in Germany. (Instagram)
"A fee of 2.50 lakhs to represent my country, and I miss out on getting an entry at the final moment," Devyaniba captioned her social media post.
This incident is not isolated, as the World University Games has faced other instances of mismanagement. The Indian badminton team, which won the mixed team bronze medal at the tournament in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany, encountered similar administrative issues when six out of twelve selected shuttlers were prevented from participating due to alleged administrative lapses.
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