NEW DELHI, Apr 23: Putting an end to the controversy surrounding the selection of Geetika Jakhar for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Helsinki, the selection committee of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) today unanimously decided to drop the contentious athlete for the event.
WFI secretary general Raj Singh informed that neither Geetika nor Alka Tomar, whom the former defeated in the selection trials, have been handpicked for the qualifiers, and instead Anita would represent India in the 63kg category in the Helsinki event from May 4-6.
“We want the best wrestler to represent India in the qualifiers. It is not only the question of participating in the qualifiers but it is about getting maximum representation at the Olympics,” Singh told here.
“After witnessing the footage of Geetika’s bout against Alka Tomar, the selection committee has unanimously decided that Geetika made her way through because of poor refereeing,” he said.
“So, we have decided to go with the best available player and in these circumstances Anita was the best possible choice.”
Anita will also represent India in the World Qualifiers in China from April 27.
Singh, meanwhile, said that there was a clear violation of the rules during the second round bout between Alka and Geetika, and insisted if it would have been a International Wrestling Federation (FILA) event, the former would have been declared a clear winner. (PTI)
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