Tejaswin Shankar's name not accepted by CWG committee, says IOA official

"We had sent Tejaswin's name yesterday but we received a response last (Wednesday) night from the Commonwealth Games organisers that his name was not accepted," said IOA Secretary General Rajeev Mehta.

While hearing a plea by Shankar challenging his exclusion from participating in the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, the high court observed that an athlete has a career of only 4-5 prime years and they must be given maximum opportunities during this period.

A day after the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) announced that it had included Tejaswin Shankar in the Indian team for the Commonwealth Games, IOA Secretary General Rajeev Mehta told Sportstar that the high jumper's name had not been accepted by the Commonwealth Games Working (CWG) Committee.

"We had sent Tejaswin's name yesterday, but we received a response last (Wednesday) night from the Commonwealth Games organisers that his name was not accepted," Mehta said.

 

"According to the rules, only a like-for-like replacement is permissible. So if we have withdrawn an athlete in one particular event, the replacement has to be in the same event," he added.

The news comes as a blow to Tejaswin, who had earlier expressed joy at being included in the squad. “I am happy at the decision, but I would have been happier if others who had made the cut were also included. After all, if there is a qualifying mark set, then anyone who meets it should get a chance,” Tejaswin had told Sportstar.

The AFI in the Delhi High Court said Shankar had been included after they had disqualified 400m runner Arokia Rajiv.