Athletes Meet Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Level Serious Bribery & Bias Charges Against PCI
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A severe governance crisis has hit Indian para-sports as leading para shooters met Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in New Delhi to lodge formal complaints against the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI). The high-level meeting followed public protests staged during the official send-off ceremony for the Indian contingent heading to the upcoming Aichi-Nagoya Para Asian Games. A delegation of three affected athletes raised grave allegations of institutional bias, financial irregularities, and blatant rule relaxation in final squad selections, urging prompt government intervention to safeguard national sporting integrity.
Allegations of Rule Violations and Ignored Top Continental Rankings
The protesting delegation asserted that the national selection process was compromised to benefit lower-ranked shooters at the expense of top-performing contenders:
Bypassing Asian Ranks: Sandeep Kumar, currently ranked third in Asia in para pistol shooting, voiced serious grievances after being excluded alongside Akash, the reigning continental number one.
Selection of Lower-Ranked Athletes: The athletes pointed out that Rudransh Khandelwal, ranked 14th in the continental standings, was selected ahead of higher-ranked competitors following an unapproved relaxation of standard qualification norms.
Flouting Established Criteria: The shooters submitted evidence claiming the PCI adjusted qualification benchmarks to accommodate four favored competitors for the continental multi-sport event scheduled to begin on October 18.
Formal Memorandum Accuses Technical Panel of Extortion and Guideline Breaches
The athletes escalated their concerns by submitting a formal memorandum to the Director General of the Sports Authority of India (SAI), demanding a thorough inquiry:
Accusations Against Technical Committee: The submission accused senior PCI office bearers and the Shooting Technical Committee (STC) of illegal extortion, financial manipulation, and deliberate defiance of binding Sports Ministry administrative guidelines.
Medal Prospects at Risk: Delegations reminded the ministry that omitting top-ranked athletes directly compromises India's international medal potential, questioning who will take accountability for squandered podium opportunities.
PCI Reluctance Over Prestige: The athletes revealed that PCI administrators resisted rectifying the squad list after media reports surfaced, expressing concerns that reversing nominations post-announcement would cause public embarrassment for the federation.
Sports Ministry Steps in to Seek Constructive Resolution
With the opening ceremony of the Asian Para Games approaching rapidly, the sports administration has engaged directly with the aggrieved competitors:
Constructive Official Dialogue: Senior Sports Ministry officials confirmed that Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya personally heard the grievances presented by the delegation and instructed staff to pursue actionable solutions to de-escalate tensions.
Demand for Independent Probe: The shooting contingent continues to demand an independent, time-bound investigation into federation selection practices, quota allocations, and alleged financial misconduct to protect future athlete development.
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