India’s mixed badminton team, which clinched the bronze medal at the ongoing World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany, has found itself at the centre of a selection controversy.
Six out of the 12 selected players were barred from competing after what is being described as an alleged administrative lapse, casting a shadow over the team’s achievement.
India had sent a 12-member badminton squad to the World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr, but only half the team ended up taking the court. Due to a blunder at the managers’ meeting on July 16, where officials reportedly failed to register all players correctly, six athletes were left out, unable to compete despite being officially selected.
"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 players left out, on Instagram.
"This isn't just a mistake. It's career sabotage by AIU and our team officials. We demand justice."
As per a PTI report, the two Association of Indian Universities (AIU) officials present at the meeting were BV Rao and Ajit Mohan. The AIU — the central authority overseeing university-level sports in India — has acknowledged the incident, which led to six players being sidelined from competition.
"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.
According to a source, the issue was not just an error but stemmed from "systematic irregularities" starting from the selection trials held at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), 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 in the mixed team event were Saneeth Dayanand, Sathish Kumar Karunakaran, Devika Sihag, Tasnim Mir, Varshini Viswanath Sri, and Vaishnavi Khadkekar.
India began their campaign with a win over Macau but fell to Hong Kong in the group stage. They bounced back in the knockouts, defeating the USA in the round of 16 and overcoming Malaysia in the quarterfinals, before bowing out to Chinese Taipei in the semifinals.
Rohan Kumar, Darshan Pujari, Aditi Bhatt, Abhinash Mohanty, Viraj Kuvale, and Alisha Khan were also part of the 12-member squad but were left out of the competition and didn’t get to play a single match.
Pujari has written to the Badminton Association of India (BAI), demanding a thorough investigation.
“This level of mismanagement has caused significant emotional distress to the affected athletes, especially when Team India went on to win a historic medal at the Games. The players who were left out of the nomination list have been unfairly denied the chance to contribute on the field and be acknowledged as part of this achievement,” he wrote in his email.
“To date, there has been no accountability or concrete explanation provided by the managers. A mere apology cannot suffice at this level of international representation, where the careers, dreams, and morale of athletes are at stake.
“Through this email, I respectfully urge the concerned authorities to take this matter seriously, conduct a thorough review, and ensure that such avoidable and damaging incidents are never repeated in the future.”
Frustrated by the incident and the apparent indifference of the Indian officials, one of the affected players said, “It’s a historic achievement that our team managed to win bronze with just six players. But that medal and certificate 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," he told PTI on condition of anonymity.
“The AIU can at least issue certificates acknowledging all 12 as team members to protect our career prospects and rights.”
The selection trials were held in April at KIIT, Bhubaneswar, with over 210 players, including top-tier national and international university athletes, participating.
However, the source alleged that the players who actually topped the trials were left out of the mixed team event despite being part of the squad.
“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.
“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 players worked really hard, and if they are robbed of their chance like this, it is unacceptable.”
One of the players also claimed that the officials mishandled the team jerseys, resulting in a fine, an issue that Darshan Pujari raised in his letter as well.
“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,” the player said.
“There wasn’t even a proper coach. Players were sitting court-side, coaching each other during matches.”
With PTI Inputs
