New Delhi, April 4 Months after an administrative lapse prevented them from competing at the World University Games, six Indian badminton players are still awaiting participation certificates which were promised to them as corrective action by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).
A 12-member Indian badminton squad was selected for the Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany, but only six players attended the meeting, leaving the remaining half barred from competition despite being present at the venue. The AIU then formed an inquiry committee and suspended its joint secretary, Baljit Singh Sekhon.
The six who competed – Sathish Kumar Karunakaran, Saneeth Dayanand, Tasnim Mir, Varshini Viswanath Sri, Devika Sihag and Vaishnavi Khadkekar – went on to win a historic bronze medal in the mixed team event.
However, the excluded players – Alisha Khan, Rohan Kumar, Darshan Pujari, Aditi Bhatt, Abhinash Mohanty and Viraj Kuvale – were left out of official records, denying them certificates, recognition, and benefits linked to international medals.
The Sports Ministry in January this year issued a show cause notice to AIU, saying the body has failed to carry out its duties related to athlete development and planning.
"There are no cash awards; we haven't given any cash reward to anyone, but they have received their medals. They are yet to receive the certificates, but we have taken it up with FISU, so we hope for the best," AIU secretary general Pankaj Mittal told
For the players, the past few months have been marked by uncertainty, with little clarity from the governing body.
Alisha Khan alleged that repeated attempts to seek clarity from officials have drawn no response.
"While we were in Germany, there was a Zoom meeting organised by the AIU with the players, and its general secretary Ms. Pankaj Mittal was present. They promised us that upon returning to India, we would receive equal recognition and cash rewards, and merit certificates like the other 6 players," she said.
"We were told to post on Instagram with our medals to show that because of the AIU, we received the medals, whereas we, as players, wrote a letter to FISU and its organizers to understand our situation, so as a memento, they gave us the medal.
"Since we have returned to India, not even one email has been answered, and no one is willing to pick up our calls. Even if they pick up our calls, they just keep telling us to talk to another official. We have yet to receive a clear response. Our state associations are asking for merit certificates to give us cash awards," she added.
Sathish Kumar Karunakaran, who was part of the medal-winning side, said the lack of clarity has been frustrating for everyone involved.
"They did promise cash awards, but everything went silent after that. We tried to speak to them, but there was no response," he said.
"We don't have anything in writing, but every player knows what was promised and what happened, the struggle we went through. We didn't even have T-shirts.
"It was tough to receive the medals while the rest of our fellow shuttlers were crying on the sidelines. We didn't want to receive the medals in this way, but we were threatened."
Aditi Bhatt, one of the excluded players, said the absence of official certification has rendered the medals meaningless.
"We were promised certificates that would recognise us as part of the bronze medal-winning Indian team. We received the medals, but the value of the medal is zero without the certificate.
"They said that once we came back, we would be felicitated, we would be recognised, and a cash award would be given, just to be there as a team support, and we did that, but after that, there was nothing."
The excluded players were later given medals by the International University Sports Federation as a symbolic gesture, but these do not carry official validity in terms of records or entitlements.
With no outcome of the AIU inquiry in the public domain and no formal recognition extended so far, the players continue to await closure of an episode that cost them a chance to compete on the international stage.
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Cheers
UNNI ATK UNG