'We demand justice': India's badminton stars cry foul; 6 players banned from competing due to admin disaster at World University Games
A controversy has erupted in the Indian badminton squad at the World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany, where half of the selected players were prevented from participating due to administrative issues.
The team of twelve players sent to represent India was reduced to six competitors after officials failed to properly submit all names during the managers' meeting on July 16.
"This is not just mismanagement – it's career sabotage. We demand answers, accountability, and that our voices be heard. We didn't lose a match – we lost our right to even participate," wrote Alisha Khan, one of the excluded players, on Instagram.
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"This isn't just a mistake. It's career sabotage by AIU and our team officials. We demand justice."
BV Rao and Ajit Mohan were the Association of Indian Universities officials present at the meeting. The AIU, which oversees university sports in India, has acknowledged the situation.
"We have been informed about this and the matter is being investigated," AIU Secretary Dr Pankaj Mittal told PTI while refusing to comment any further.
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A source revealed that the issue extended beyond a simple error, pointing to irregularities beginning from the selection trials at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology in Bhubaneswar.
"During the managers' meeting, officials were given a letter listing all 12 players from India. It was their responsibility to read it carefully, check for missing or injured players, and confirm or adjust the names accordingly.
However, they took it lightly," the source said.
"The names of players who hadn't attended trials were there. They came here only to enjoy. In the meeting, they also made a basic mistake. They were supposed to declare which player would play singles, doubles, and mixed, but didn't process it properly."
The six players who competed were Saneeth Dayanand, Sathish Kumar Karunakaran, Devika Sihag, Tasnim Mir, Varshini Viswanath Sri, and Vaishnavi Khadkekar.
The team secured victories against Macau and the USA, defeated Malaysia in the quarterfinals, but lost to Hong Kong in the group stage and Chinese Taipei in the semifinals.
The remaining six players - Rohan Kumar, Darshan Pujari, Aditi Bhatt, Abhinash Mohanty, Viraj Kuvale, and Alisha Khan - were unable to participate.
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"The team manager made the blunder. The officials didn't focus during the meeting, and after the trials they didn't follow the proper process.
They just submitted six names, so the other six were not allowed by FISU," the source said.
"I don't know whether to call it a technical error or sheer misfortune. Entries were mailed, confirmations received, the team travelled all the way, and yet in the manager's meeting they missed out names. I don't know how it is possible to overlook such a basic responsibility."
The source indicated that players were being given false hopes about participating in individual events starting Tuesday.
"Players have been misled throughout. Now that they couldn't stand on the podium, officials are giving them false hopes about participation and medals in the individual events."
The selection trials in April at KIIT, Bhubaneswar, attracted over 210 players, including top university athletes.
"It is a historic achievement that our team won a bronze with just six players, but that certificate and medal will change their lives, not ours, when we were supposed to be there as a team."
"The frustrating thing is the officials don't even admit their mistakes or show any remorse," said another player anonymously.
"The AIU can at least issue certificates acknowledging all 12 as team members to protect our career prospects and rights."
Additional issues emerged regarding team jerseys, resulting in fines for the team.
"They printed full names instead of surnames, and the jerseys didn't carry the country name properly. The team was fined 1000 euros per match for incorrect jerseys. Only from the semifinals onwards did we get proper jerseys sent from India," a player revealed.
"There wasn't even a proper coach. Players were sitting court-side coaching each other during matches."
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