Indian gymnasts left disappointed in New Delhi after SAI cancels trials

The World Championships is the first major event of the season offering Olympic quota places. The trials were meant to finalise the Indian team, which would include three women, for the event, but top gymnasts who reached Delhi on Saturday found out to their dismay that the trials have been cancelled.

The reason, as HT reported, has been the Sports Authority of India (SAI) separately requesting the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to put together a selection panel for the national squad selection. Despite the developments, none of the gymnasts has received official communication from the authorities, but for one top gymnast who was told orally to wait until Monday.

The SAI wants the panel to pick a core group of 24 gymnasts, including 12 women, to prepare the national squad for the world championships and other major events in the build-up to the Tokyo Games. SAI has also mentioned, in its administrative sanction, that IOA should inform state Olympic units so that all Tokyo hopefuls can take part in the trials. The IOA, however, has responded by saying that it doesn’t have the jurisdiction to conduct the trials as per the norms of the gymnastics world body, FIG.

‘’We have no right. We have informed SAI. We haven’t got any response. But we will check again with the international body on Monday,” Rajeev Mehta, IOA secretary-general, was quoted saying by Hindustan Times.

Indian gymnastics had earned goodwill, thanks to Dipa Karmakar finishing fourth in the vault event at the 2016 Rio Olympics. But, the prolonged dispute is threatening to drag down the sport.