Selection row now in Asian Para Games badminton

Peeved athletes knocking on the court’s doors ahead of selection trials for major events has crept into para sports as well with some para shuttlers questioning their exclusion ahead of the Hangzhou Asian Para Games in October.

The issue regarding the trials, to be held on Monday and Tuesday in Greater Noida, pertains to a specific class in para badminton for wheelchair players (WH1 and WH2). Among the 42 players invited for the trials by Badminton Association of India (BAI) — by a letter dated July 4 signed by K Prabhakar Rao, chairman, para badminton, BAI — only four WH category athletes have been called to select one men’s doubles and one mixed doubles pair each. The criteria cited to invite these players was their doubles world ranking.

However, Sanjeev Kumar, India’s top-ranked WH2 singles shuttler in the BWF Para Badminton charts and the current national champion, and Alphia James, the India No.2 in WH2 singles who also won the nationals this year, are among those not called.

James filed a petition over her exclusion in the Delhi High Court, which on July 21 sought the response of BAI and Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) but refused to grant permission to the petitioner to participate in the trials. ANI quoted Justice Subramonium Prasad as saying that “we will order a fresh trial if it is found wrong”. The matter was listed for further hearing on August 8, which is past the deadline for sending entries for the continental event.

“Before filing the case, I sent many mails to BAI and PCI requesting entry for the trials. There were no other players going for singles, and those slots are vacant. Still, they did not consider me. I waited for two weeks and then took the decision (to file the petition),” James, based in Dubai, said from Noida.

Claiming to have an email from PCI granting her permission to attend the trials, James said she will still turn up for it on Monday. “I got an email from the PCI president that I can attend the trials, but BAI has said I can’t,” she said.

A notification issued on Sunday signed by Rao said the players invited to attend the trails “have been selected based on medal probability in Asian Games” and as per its laid down criteria.