New Delhi: Unhappy at the non-inclusion of one of its players, Rowing Federation of India has alleged that "undeserving candidates" were recommended for the prestigious Arjuna Award through canvassing by disregarding the government guidelines.
In a letter to Sports Minister Ajay Maken, RFI President C P Singh Deo said that rower Saji Thomas was overlooked for the award despite his consistent achievements in the last 10 years, including winning two silver medals in Asian Games last year.
Thomas also won a silver in the 2009 Asian Rowing Championships in Taiwan.
"No consideration has been paid to the guidelines issued from your Ministry as eligibility criteria for the most prestigious sporting excellence award of the country," Deo said in the letter."Some of the names recommended by the committee do not qualify the eligibility criteria mentioned in the letter issued by your Ministry. This gives rise to the speculation that canvassing is the norm to get the award, in violation of paragraph 11.8 of the Scheme enclosed with the MYAS letter," he said.
"Due to reasons unknown, a most outstanding rower of my discipline, Saji Thomas has been overlooked by the committee in spite of his achievements par excellence in international competition, combined with a consistency of 10 years even though the requirement is of three years. After giving his best for 10 years to the sport, he won two silver medals at the 2010 Asian Games, China," the letter said.
No rower was recommended by the committee for Arjuna Award.
Deo said some names in the recommended list do not have any consistent achievements over the previous three years and they have taken precedence over outstanding athletes."It is obvious that canvassing is the order of the day, contrary to efforts of your Ministry to prevent canvassing and ensure that recognition is accorded for exceptional talent and dedication in sports, in a fair, transparent and equitable manner, to the deserving.
"As the final authority to approve the recommendations, I beseech you to take a closer look at the recommendations in comparison with the achievements of Saji Thomas and see that justice is not denied to one of the most deserving athlete of the decade. Saji Thomas will retire from rowing at the end of this year," Deo said in the letter.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.