Narsingh Yadav to Represent India at Rio: HC

New Delhi: New Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed wrestler Sushil Kumar’s plea to secure a berth at the Rio Olympics against Narsingh Yadav. The controversy was taken to court by Kumar last month where the two-time Olympic medal winner pushed to reserve the only quota for Rio games on the 74kg category. The court, following the selection, said that, ‘the last minute changes in selection can disturb the mental preparation of the selected athlete,’ i.e. Narsingh Yadav, as EXIN Times reports said.

It was also reported that the judicial bench, led by justice Manmohan considered the submission of Wrestler Federation of India (WFI) which read that Yadav is in better form than Kumar. The submission emphasized Yadav’s form as consistent.

According to EXIN Times reports, Sushil Kumar failed to qualify in any of the selection trials in 2014 and 2015, including the national championship in December 31, 2015 and January 1, 2016. Kumar also failed to qualify the Asian Championship held on February 2016. The court, therefore, highlighting on the failures of Kumar in all the national and international majors over the selection preferred Yadav for the quadrennial gaming extravaganza.  

Reports are that Kumar had presented his training at Georgia and Sonepat as contention to the court, which he did in the early months of 2016. However, the court dismissed the training certificates saying that, “It does not mean that it is mandatory to hold a trial today and that too at a belated stage.”

The high court had refused to intervene in the Sushil Kumar- Narsingh Yadav controversy formerly and directed WFI to solve the issue. Declaring the selection, the HC asserted: “WFI conducted a transparent process of selection. Delhi HC will not interfere in the jurisdiction of the wrestling federation unless arbitrary or unreasonable behavior is shown. Arguments that the trial was held months ago and hence not tenable, are unsound and not accepted.”