Why the Yachting Association of India is responsible for the mess ahead of the Asian Games

The unfortunate turn of events regarding the selection of India’s Asian Games Yacht squad has hit such a roadblock that the association is conducting a re-trial to settle the matter. The Yachting Association of India (YAI) will hold a regatta to elect either Varsha Gautham or Ekta Yadav over a single spot left in India’s squad for the 49er FX team. The selection process will be held in Jakarta from August 4-8 next month, just a few days before the Asiad gets underway.

Where it all started

The confusion regarding the selection process started due to the early announcement of the final squad by the YAI and Indian Olympic Association (IOA). The YAI summoned Ekta and her crew member Shaila Charis for the mega event in Jakarta and overlooked Varsha and her partner Sweta Shervegar. There was no problem or confusion regarding the selection till that point. The twist in the tail started during the Asian Sailing Championships (ASC) where Ekta and Shaila won the Bronze medal while Varsha and Sweta surpassed the former pair to claim the Silver medal. After the triumph at the event, Varsha and her partner would have been the automatic choice due to their superior finish, but the other pair topped the trials in Chennai which compelled the YAI to select Ekta for the Asian Games. Not satisfied with the outcome, Varsha filed a petition in court seeking a fair selection process. Taking notice of the matter, the IOA recommended Varsha and Sweta’s name as pending the judgement of Delhi High Court. The verdict of the case was to be announced on July 7 while Justice Bakhru clearly stated that

“this court is certainly not equipped to evaluate the merits of their decision and the same is beyond the scope of judicial review.” Also read: Why does the Federation need to put a stopper on success | By Varsha Gautham Due to these reasons, the court would not interfere in the selection process of the YAI any further. The IOA, on July 7 named Varsha and Sweta as the entrants for the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games. The IOA chief Narinder Batra said back then, “We have named Varsha and Shweta in place of Ekta and Shaila. Varsha and Shweta are silver medallists in the Asian Championships while Ekta and Saila are bronze medallists.”

Judicial intervention

The verdict did not go down well with Ekta, similarly, she also decided to pay a visit to the court. Inability to find a proper solution to the never-ending problem, the Delhi High Court ordered the Yachting Association of India to organise a fresh selection process in the interest of both the parties and avoid further confusions. It was clearly stated in the eligibility that the best athletes from the Chennai selection regatta will be given qualification spots for the Asian Sailing Championships. The Asian Sailing Championships were held in Jakarta from June 18-25, 2018 and it was based on the results of this event, the final selection would be made. The results of the Indian athletes in the event will be considered by the YAI for the procedure. But, unfortunately, the outcome of the two competitions made the task quite difficult for the Association as there was hardly anything to separate them!

This is a fault for which the YAI is responsible and no one else.

The flaw

Other Association’s like weightlifting and athletics has a clear and refined selection policy which is flawless, more importantly, has no scope for confusion. The Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWLF) shortlists its probable candidates based on their performance in the selection trials. Not only that, the procedure remains constant for the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. Having a uniform policy not only avoids unnecessary circumstances but also saves resources and time. On the other hand, the nomination policy of the Yachting Association of India kept room for the selections being affected by an international event in addition to the federation conducted trials. This ambiguity allows for various questions being raised especially because, since the contingent for the Asian Games was announced, the YAI has not been able to come up with a clear reply regarding this discrepency. For all their justifications, one cannot ignore the fact that sailors apart from Varsha and Sweta were also under similar impressions that the Asian Sailing Championships would have a bearing on their Asian Games selections. The selection policy according to YAI. Article 9.2 is the cause of all confusion Where is the line where the YAI can absolve itself of responsibility for the mess it has created? Clearly, we are still well within the domain where we can agree upon the fact that the Association dug its own grave with the vagueness it circulated with regards to the Asian Games selection policy. The YAI has already been in a sticky mess well before all this after the head coach announced his resignation citing unprofessionalism on the part of the adminsitrative body. This just further adds to an already vast set of problems. With around 24 days left for the Jakarta Asian Games to begin, the Indian contingent is still stuck with a selection process which is quite unfortunate. The YAI should definitely amend its policy in order to avoid chaos before such a big ticket event. It will be beneficial for them and for the athletes who sweat it out for the tri-colour during International events.

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Also read: Ace sailor Varsha Gautham alleges irregularities in Asian Games Selection Policy