Athletics
Female athlete dropped from Poland event on being the only woman in squad
Sameeha Barwin has been allegedly dropped from India's squad for World Deaf Athletics Championships in Poland because she is the only woman in squad.
Sameeha Barwin (Source: jussri/Twitter)
A female athlete from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Sameeha Barwin, has been allegedly dropped from the country's squad for World Deaf Athletics Championships in Poland because she was the only woman who had qualified for the event.
A 100m sprinter and long jumper, Sameeha Barwin, was the only woman selected during the national trials for the 4th World Deaf Athletics Championships alongside five other male athletes.
Tamil Nadu's 18y/o long jump and 100-metre track athlete, Sameeha Barwin, has been dropped from participating at the 4th World Deaf Athletics Championships in Poland as Sports Authority of India was allegedly unwilling to send a female athlete alone with five male athletes.
— Tushar Kant Naik 🇮🇳ॐ♫₹ (@Tushar_KN) August 8, 2021
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"My daughter is an excellent athlete. And the federation has wronged Sameeha by dropping her for such silly reasons. More than anything, I am now fighting for her dignity," Barwin's mother was quoted as saying by The News Minute.
Sameeha Barwin, who has a 90% hearing impairment, has been competing in track events since she was 12-year-old and had also broken a 100m record set in 1986.
Sameeha Barwin had cleared the qualifying mark of 4.25m in long jump to qualify for World Deaf Athletics Championships but has now been dropped from the Indian squad, which is expected to fly out to Poland on 14th August.
The World Deaf Athletics Championships will be held from 23rd August to 28th August 2021.
