All hope isn't lost for Dipa Karmakar says coach amid row over gymnastics trial

Buoyed by a knee injury, India's only gymnast to participate at Rio Olympics, Dipa Karmakar's hopes of competing at the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020 is virtually over. The young gymnast had to miss the selection trials for next month's FIG World Artistic Gymnastics Championships to be held in Stuttgart, Germany from October 4 to October 13, which will serve as an Olympic qualifier.

Dipa's coach Bisweswar Nandi, though accepted Dipa still requires some more time to recover, and it will be extremely difficult for her to make it into the Tokyo 2020, he says all hopes aren't lost.

"Dipa could not have participated in the World Championship in Stuttgart. But as soon as her doctor and physio give us a 100% clearance and the certificate, she will be back in action. I am hopeful about receiving the clearance soon, which will enable her to participate in the next three World Cups, which will be Olympic qualifiers as well.

"Dipa needs to win medals in the each of these three events which will only assure her an Olympic berth. It is though very difficult; all hope is not lost. Besides, she will be training even harder for the 2024 Olympics," said an optimistic Nandi over a telephonic conversation with The Bridge.

Shifting focus from Dipa, Nandi also expressed his discontent with the Gymnastics Federation of India (GFI) and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) for conducting trials on Monday, issuing the notification for the trial in the 11th hour on Saturday.

The trials for the Stuttgart event was held on Monday by the GFI, along with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and sports ministry's representatives. The committee comprised Onmar Singh (IOA representative), Gymnastic Federation of India president Narender Singh Mor, GFI secretary Kulwinder Singh, Kalpana Debnath (representing TEAMS Division, SAI), IS Pabla (SAI project officer for Gymnastics) and GS Bawa (Coordinator).

Monday was the last day to send entries of gymnasts and the conduct of trials at the eleventh hour was the result of the mismanaged affairs in the GFI and the delay on the part of the IOA and the ministry to communicate with the international federation (FIG).

A two-day open selection trial to select the team for the World Championships was postponed earlier this month, following SAI's request to IOA conduct the trials. Despite Sports Ministry writing to the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) to allow the committee, headed by IOA, to select the team for the tournament, FIG Deputy Secretary-General Nicolas Buompane made it clear that only the GFI has the right to select the team.

A total of 18 men and 12 women gymnasts participated at the selection trials on Monday from where a six-member team was selected. The men's team include Asian Games bronze medallist Ashish Kumar, Yogeshwar Singh (SSCB) and Aditya Singh Rana (Railways).

Pranati Nayak, who had won a bronze in the vault event at the Senior Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Mongolia earlier this year, will lead the Indian women's team, which also features Pranati Das and 2018 Gymnastics World Cup bronze medallist Aruna Budda Reddy.

The Dronacharya awardee coach, Bisweswar Nandi, slammed GFI and SAI, saying:

It is unbelievable to see their lackadaisical approach of calling for trials on Monday, issuing the notification on Saturday. We belong to a small state like Tripura, and everything could not be arranged at the last moment. Even Bengal athletes have complained about the trials. Though, Dipa wouldn't have participated. I could have prepared others who would participate in the trials like Ashmita Pal and Pratistha Samanta, had they notified us a week ago. Those who attended the trials were all in Delhi as part of the national camp. Also, the notification wasn't signed.

Even though Dipa's breathtaking performance in Rio 2016 was a big moment for India's gymnastics fraternity, the Gymnastics Federation of India was suspended by Sports Ministry owing to factional disputes. There are two factions of GFI, one headed by Sudhakar Shetty affiliated to FIG and the other under Shanti Kumar Singh recognised by IOA, and the government has derecognised the federation since 2011.