Controversy in Indian Equestrian Team Selection for Youth Asian Games

New Delhi, August 29 (PTI) - A new controversy has unfolded within the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) as opposing groups have submitted different lists of athletes to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for the upcoming Youth Asian Games. In response, equestrian Vaasvi Khaitan has turned to the Delhi High Court to ensure a fair selection process.

Anticipating the possibility of being excluded from India's squad due to the "absence of a clear selection criteria," Vaasvi took her concerns to court on Thursday. The court conducted a hearing on Friday and scheduled the next session for September 1 (Monday).

However, the final deadline for sending the list to the IOA is August 31, with the third edition of the Youth Asian Games set to take place in Bahrain from October 22-31.

The faction led by Acting EFI President Colonel Jagat Singh submitted a list of eight riders to the IOA, which notably excludes Vaasvi's name. The selected riders are: Avik Bhatia, Jaiveer Verma, M Krishna Sahiti, A Harshiyt, Bhuwan, Jaiveer Nagra, Shub Choudhary, and Ranbir Dhillon.

On the other hand, Secretary General Colonel Jaiveer Singh sent in a list of 19 athletes, which includes Vaasvi, on July 29.

In a conversation with PTI, Col. Jagat Singh mentioned that no athlete had directly sought clarification. "No athlete has approached us; instead, they approached the court directly. We have picked the athletes on merit," Jagat Singh remarked.

When questioned about the selection criteria, he explained, "We reestablished the selection committee that Col. Jaiveer Singh had previously disbanded, following the EC's suspension of him. The revised committee selected athletes based on merit. The EFI statute allows the selection of Indian teams based on points earned by the rider if there's no time to hold trials." However, Article 211 of the EFI statute states that this rule doesn't apply to selecting teams for the Asian Games, Asian Championships, Olympic Games, and World Championships.

The EFI statute also specifies that trial announcements should occur at least a month before the scheduled trial dates.

Vaasvi's father, Vedant Khaitan, believes his daughter's performance warrants a place on the team. "This is an age-group competition, and how many eligible athletes are there in India? The EFI never communicated with us about registering my daughter," he expressed to PTI.

"We are caught between two factions, two emails, and two EFI websites. Which one is valid? The lack of clarity impacts athletes. Isn’t it the EFI's duty to establish a clear selection criteria?

"I want to understand the basis of selection. My daughter has trained with Olympians. Is she not qualified? She has participated in FEI events across the Netherlands, France, Belgium, and England over the past three years. Were those results considered?

"She secured a victory in the Teuto Rising Stars event in Germany, where the Indian national anthem was played for the first time. Was that achievement acknowledged?" an incensed Vedant questioned.

Vaasvi’s petition argues that denying athletes the chance to partake in prestigious international events due to internal conflicts within the Executive Committee or circumstances beyond their control is unjust.

Vaasvi pursued equestrian training at Millfield School in the UK and has recently moved to Normandy, France, to train under the tutelage of Amy Graham.

In November 2019, the Delhi High Court appointed former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi to supervise EFI operations following a petition from the Rajasthan Equestrian Association.

On May 29, 2024, the High Court reinstated the Executive Committee elected in November 2019 as an interim arrangement.

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