It is the end of the road for wrestler Sushil Kumar as far as his donning the India cap in the Rio Olympics this year is concerned. His objection to NP Yadav’s name being cleared in the 74-kg freestyle category by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) without “selection trials” has been rejected by the Delhi High Court.
The Olympics games are slated for August in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The High Court ruled that with all respect to the two-time Olympic medalist, the decision of WFI to field Yadav was justified and there was no ground for believing that it was “unreasonable” or “perverse”. It supported WFI’s claim that Yadav was more deserving.
The wrestling federation also claimed that Yadav got the berth for Olympics by winning the bronze medal in the World Wrestling Championship, last year.
While rubbishing Kumar’s plea for a “selection trial”, the High Court reminded him that even he took part in Olympics without facing any selection trial. It also observed that allowing selection trials at this stage might be detrimental for wrestlers as they may get injured.
The High Court also issued notice to WFI Vice President Raj Singh for providing wrong information to the court in favor of Kumar. It demanded an explanation from Singh why he shouldn’t be held guilty for perjury.