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HC clears kabaddi team's path to Bangkok

Ending the suspense about the participation of the Indian kabaddi team in the 13th Asian Games in Bangkok, the Delhi high court has rejected a petition by some players against their exclusion from the squad and paved the way for the team's departure for the Thai capital tomorrow.

The court severely criticised the Indian Olympic Association for moving late to sort out the dispute in the kabaddi federation and delaying the selection of the team for the Games.

In his order, passed on December 3 but made available today, Justice Anil Dev Singh said: "I am constrained to observe that the IOA ought to have moved early in the matter of selection of the team so that extensive training could have been imparted to the members."

Commenting on the role of the arbitrator appointed to ascertain the 'real' federation out of the two claimants (one headed by Kuldeep Vats and the other by J S Gehlot), the judge said, "The arbitrator also took considerably long in resolving the disputes between the parties."

Further, it should have been the endeavour of the members of the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India to rise above internal politics in the interests of the country as "rivalry between the members has the potential of destroying the sport", the judge commented.

He dismissed the plea of the 10 players of Vats's outfit, who claimed that since they underwent training under the supervision of Sports Authority of India observers, only they could be members of the Indian squad and the selection of members of the Gehlot group was illegal.

Senior counsel R K Anand represented the IOA while R M Bagai appeared for the petitioners.

Justice Singh felt the team selection was done as per IOA norms and the team sponsored by Vats could not claim to be the one selected according to the rules.

Even the arbitrator had adjudged that Gehlot was the elected president of the AKFI, the judge noted.

"There is no reason to doubt the bona fides of the selection committee in selecting the best sportsmen for the Indian side," he observed.

He also rejected the plea of the petitioners that the players selected from the Gehlot faction should not be allowed to go to Bangkok as they had been attending to their duties and never underwent any training for the Games.

Justice Singh observed, "It is unfortunate that due to the... fight between the two factions this unsavoury controversy has cropped up. It goes without saying that the sporting interest of the country is being jeopardised because of their intense rivalry."

The petitioners had approached the court seeking early announcement of the team for the Asian Games as they feared some 'foul play' in the IOA's selection process.

The ten players who petitioned the court on November 19 had been cleared by the Kuldip Vats-led AKFI faction after several camps conducted under the SAI's supervision.

But while the case was pending, the IOA announced a team incorporating players from both factions.

UNI