Trial or No? HC Verdict on Sushil Kumar’s Olympic Dream Today

Time to change precedent for an exceptional case?

Sushil Kumar with his silver medal from the London Olympics. (Photo: Reuters)

Will Sushil Kumar get to fight Narsingh Yadav in an Indian trial for a ticket to Rio, or will the two-time Olympic medalist see his dreams of a farewell games end abruptly?

The decision will be made by the Delhi High Court on Monday.

However, if the statements of the chair in the last hearing are any indication, the verdict today is likely to go in favour of the Wrestling Federation of India. The Delhi High court had observed that it did not find “any statutory mandate” to hold trials before the Olympics.

Problem is that the sports code is nowhere prescribing that trial is mandatory. It has given flexibility and autonomy to the organisation to decide (mode of selection). I do not find the statutory mandate which you are trying to read into it.

Justice Manmohan

Sushil Kumar can chose to appeal to the Supreme Court if the verdict is not in his favour, but with the Olympics starting in the first week of August, it may just be cutting things a bit too close.

Sushil vs Narsingh: The Case

Whatever the verdict, Sushil Kumar finds himself in an odd position - to be appearing in court for hearings to get a trial for a spot in the Olympics.

All this, because it was fellow 74kg wrestler Narsingh Yadav who clinched the berth for the India in the category by finishing third in the World Championship in Las Vegas last year. Sushil on his part had been injured and could not make the journey. However once Narsingh did so, no other Indian was allowed to participate in Olympic qualifiers in the category.

Since then, Narsingh has been staking his claim for the berth and the Wrestling Federation of India too is supporting the stance of the wrestler who booked the spot. However, Sushil’s argument is that since he was injured at the time, he should now at least be allowed a trial against Narsingh - to see who goes to Rio.

He may be 33 and having nursed an injury for a major part of the qualifying period for Rio, but Sushil Kumar is also the only Indian sportsperson to win two individual medals at the Olympics. In all sports, not just wrestling.