Asiad selection mess spills into equestrian

New Delhi, July 24

Yet another selection controversy has come to the fore in the run-up to the Asian Games. Following in the footsteps of boxers and wrestlers, a dressage athlete has rebelled against the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI).

In a press conference today, Gourav Pundir criticised EFI secretary general Col Jaiveer Singh and vice-president (finance) Harish Khokkar for trying to stop him from participating in the Asian Games.

“The EFI revised the selection criteria and said that the rider-horse combinations would need to get three minimum eligibility requirement (MER) scores in four events rather than the one MER score needed in five events as specified earlier,” said Pundir, who was ranked second on the merit list after four trials.

Pundir said that ever since he and eventing rider Chirag Pundir questioned the change in the selection process as it was not made by the selection committee or approved by the executive committee, as is mandated by the EFI constitution, he has been unnecessarily targeted.

“They have mentally harassed me. After I wrote that letter, I was called by Khokkar to his farmhouse and was threatened. Since then I have come to understand that a lot of things are being done to keep me out of the team,” said Pundir, whose name was part of the long list sent to the organisers.

“I had no idea that my horse would not be allowed to enter China. The EFI knew this since March last year that our horses had to come through one of the five locations specified. The EFI took no concrete steps. Instead, I got an email from the federation in March this year asking me to get a horse on lease,” he added.

“I was told to get a visa on my own to travel to Europe and you know it is not easy. It was a scramble to secure a visa but before I could arrive in Europe, the EFI had identified an event for me and my as-yet-unidentified horse to compete in. They insisted that if I did not get an MER in the first of the three final selection events, I would be dropped from the probable list,” he said.

NSFs frame selection policy: Ministry tells HC

Chandigarh: The Sports Ministry today told the Punjab and Haryana High Court that it was the Boxing Federation of India’s prerogative to frame its policy for selection of boxers for participation in international events, including the forthcoming Asian Games. The submission came less than a fortnight after three boxers sought directions to the Union of India and other respondents to conduct final selection trials as per the National Sports Development Code of India. An affidavit placed before Justice Vinod S Bhardwaj’s Bench by Director Shiv Pratap Singh Tomar said the national sports federations (NSFs) were primarily responsible for judicious selection of national teams for participation in major international events as per the sports code. TNS