4 days after Asian Para Games send-off, India yet to release official squad

Four days after the Sports Ministry gave an official send-off to the Asian Para Games contingent in New Delhi, the official squad for the event is still awaited. Despite many of the athletes already leaving for Japan for the continental Games, being hosted in Nagoya, the authorities are yet to officially release the list of names.Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) flagged off the contingent on Thursday, October 8. Para-badminton star Pramod Bhagat and para-table tennis player Bhavina Patel were announced as India's flag bearers for the Asian Para Games opening ceremony.The delay comes amid protests by para-athletes over the selection process, with para-shooters alleging irregularities in the selection of the Indian contingent. The send-off ceremony itself was overshadowed by a demonstration by shooters who questioned their exclusion from the team and raised allegations of corruption and manipulation against officials.The Asian Para Games will be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from October 18 to 24. SELECTION CONTROVERSY CASTS SHADOWThe para-shooters intensified their protest during the send-off ceremony, gathering outside the venue with placards and demanding answers over their exclusion from the Indian team. Among those protesting were Sandeep Kumar and Akash, who questioned why they had been left out despite their rankings and performances.In a representation submitted to the Director General of the Sports Authority of India (SAI), the athletes alleged that they were being pressured to pay a percentage of their government cash awards as a condition for selection. The representation alleged that athletes were being coerced into paying a 20 per cent commission from their sanctioned government cash awards to designated office-bearers as a precondition for selection.The shooters also questioned the appointment of an individual as a technical expert and Director of Operations, alleging that the person had no record of participating in an official competitive shooting event.Sandeep, a P4 50m free pistol SH1 shooter, said he was aggrieved by what he described as arbitrary decisions and violations of the selection rules. He questioned the selection of Rudrankksh Khandelwal, alleging that his own Asian ranking, along with that of Akash, should have placed them ahead in the selection process.Akash, meanwhile, alleged that his credentials had been overlooked because he had not named shooting coach Jai Prakash Nautiyal as his coach.The PCI has rejected the allegations, maintaining that the team was selected on merit.MINISTER TO ADDRESS ATHLETES' CONCERNSThe Sports Ministry had said Mandaviya would meet the protesting para-shooters on Friday to address their concerns, including allegations of corruption and irregularities in the selection process.A Ministry source acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations, saying the issues extended beyond the selection for the Asian Para Games and pointed to wider institutional concerns in para-shooting."Little can be done now to make any changes to the contingent. But these are very serious charges and cannot be simply rejected without a thorough understanding of what's going on," the source said.The protests have not been limited to para-shooting. Six para-cyclists who were left out of the contingent for failing to meet the selection criteria also staged a demonstration at the SAI headquarters.Paralympian Arshad Shaik was the only cyclist to receive the Ministry's approval for the Games. He finished fourth among nine athletes at the Asian Para Road Championships this year and fifth in the eight-athlete field in the 1km time trial at the Asian Para Track Championships.With final entries already submitted, changes to the contingent appear unlikely. The protests, however, have raised questions over the selection process even as India prepares for the start of the Games in Japan.The absence of an officially released squad list, four days after the send-off ceremony, adds to the uncertainty surrounding the build-up to India's campaign.- Ends