Latest news with #DevyanibaZala
Indian Express
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Sports ministry wants to revamp Association of Indian Universities after introduction of National Sports Governance Bill
Association of Indian Universities (AIU), the body responsible for university-level sport in the country, has come under the scanner of the Sports Ministry following allegations of 'mismanagement and incompetence' at the ongoing World University Games in Germany. The Ministry wants to revamp the organisation after introduction of the National Sports Governance Bill in Parliament on Wednesday. The bronze-winning Indian badminton squad at the ongoing Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany, found itself in controversy when it came to light that six of the 12 chosen players were barred from participating after Indian officials failed to submit all names correctly during the managers' meeting on July 16. 'It is clear that the body is unable to manage University sports. University sports is our best bet to create world-class athletes and still there are so many gaps leading to mismanagement,' a sports ministry source said. 'A revamp is needed and the solution is to have a proper functioning federation instead of nodal bodies to operate University sports,' the source added. While AIU and Sports Games Federation of India (SGFI) are not counted as National Sports Federations (NSFs), they remain the representative bodies for events like World University Games conducted by International University Sports Federation. Apart from the badminton gaffe, athletics also suffered as names were removed from the start list at the last moment. Quarter-miler Devyaniba Zala took to Instagram to point out that her name went missing from the start list at the last moment. 'I was told that I will run in 400m and Relays when they selected me for the University Games. However, my name was not present in the start list for the 400m due to the causal approach,' Zala told The Indian Express over a phone call. 'I was in good shape to run my personal best and have been preparing for this event for a long time,' she added. Similar to Zala, Federation Cup silver medalist Seema couldn't compete in the 10,000m event as her name was missing too from the entry list. Fined for Jersey Infringement Adding to the selection blunders, AIU was also fined 1000 euros for flouting the jersey regulations in badminton. As per the BWF rules, the last name, as recorded in the BWF database, and if desired, the initials of first name can be printed on the back of a jersey. The same rule was followed at the 2025 World University Games. However, in a violation of the rule, the Indian jerseys had full names of the players printed on the back. 'This is gross negligence and ignorance,' a player said on the condition of anonymity. The efforts to reach AIU officials via phone and text went unanswered.
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First Post
8 hours ago
- Sport
- First Post
Sports Ministry mulls new federation after AIU blunder at World University Games
The Sports Ministry is considering setting up a new federation for university sports after mismanagement by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) caused Indian athletes to miss events at the World University Games in Germany. read more Devyaniba Zala was among the Indian athletes who were barred from participating. Devyaniba Zala/Instagram New Delhi: Livid with the 'mismanagement' that led to embarrassment for India in the World University Games, the sports ministry is considering the prospect of acting against the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) by setting up a separate federation to handle the administration of university-level sports. The bronze-winning Indian badminton squad at the ongoing Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany found itself hounded by controversy when it came to light that six of the 12 chosen players were barred from participating after Indian officials failed to submit all names correctly during the managers' meeting on July 16. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In addition, woman quarter-miler Devyaniba Zala also alleged that she could not compete as her name went 'missing because of late alteration by the officials in submitting the confirmation list'. The ministry has taken note of the developments, it is reliably learnt. 'Clearly, they are unable to manage the affairs properly. Probably, the solution is a separate federation to handle administration. A revamp is needed because university sport is our best bet to find high-potential athletes,' a ministry source said. 'It is obviously sad that something like this happened and the country was embarrassed. This will be thoroughly looked into,' he added. The AIU, which is the nodal body for university-level sports in the country, acknowledged the incident related to badminton and its secretary general Dr Pankaj Mittal said the 'matter is being investigated.' The athletes, meanwhile, could only lament the lapses. 'The frustrating thing is the officials don't even admit their mistakes or show any remorse,' an athlete competing at the Games had said after the fiasco. '…the team travelled all the way, and yet in the manager's meeting they missed out names. I don't know how it is possible to overlook such a basic responsibility.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
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First Post
13 hours ago
- Sport
- First Post
Controversy erupts in Indian athletics as 8 athletes miss World University Games due to alleged admin mistakes: ‘Career sabotage', ‘₹2.5 lakh fee'
At least eight Indian athletes have missed out on the World University Games after alleged administrative blunders such as incorrect name entries. The incident has sparked outrage across the sports community. read more A massive controversy has broken out in Indian sports as at least eight athletes were barred from the ongoing World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany, due to alleged administrative lapses. Six out of eight athletes were part of the Indian badminton squad that won the mixed team bronze medal at the ongoing Games. The other two athletes are sprinters Devyaniba Zala and Seema. The affected players have taken to social media to highlight the alleged administrative mess and their plight. 'This is not just mismanagement – it's career sabotage,' one of the athletes, who missed out on the World University Games, wrote on Instagram. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Six Indian shuttlers miss out on World University Games medal A badminton team of 12 players was sent to Germany for the event, but six were not allowed to participate as officials did not submit all the names correctly during the managers' meeting on 16 July. As per a report in news agency PTI, the managers' meeting was attended by Association of Indian Universities (AIU) officials BV Rao and Ajit Mohan. The six badminton players who missed out on the World University Games medal are Rohan Kumar, Darshan Pujari, Aditi Bhatt, Abhinash Mohanty, Viraj Kuvale and Alisha Khan. 'We demand answers, accountability, and that our voices be heard. We didn't lose a match — we lost our right to even participate,' Alisha Khan wrote on Instagram. 'This isn't just a mistake. It's career sabotage by AIU and our team officials. We demand justice.' Sprinters Devyaniba, Seema suffer same fate The 400m sprinter Devyaniba Zala has said that her name was missing from the start list at the World University Games despite being part of the official entry list. The 23-year-old athlete from Saurashtra Devyaniba also claimed on Instagram that she had paid Rs 2.5 lakhs to participate in the event and shared proof of her name being part of the official list. 'A fee of 2.50 lakhs to represent my country, and I miss out on getting an entry at the final moment,' Devyaniba captioned her social media post. She also shared the picture of a final confirmation list that included a pen stroke that crossed out another athlete's name to make room for hers. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'I have been preparing for this event for over a year and was in good shape to clock a PB and make it to the 400m final and do something special. But when the start list for Day 1 came out last evening, my name in the entry went missing from the 400m women's list,' Devyaniba said in an Instagram post. 'The official of the team tells me that the date and time for submission are over, and we are trying. But when it is a global competition, how can a world committee accept an entry which is scribbled and written with a pen?' Devyaniba asked. 'It might be very casual for the officials, but not to me, being an athlete who has missed the entry this way at the global competition,' Devyaniba added. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In another similar incident, the Times of India has claimed that Seema, who was to take part in the women's 10,000m final, did not find her name in the start list. 'It appears that while reconfirming the participation of the athletes to the organisers, through the electronic data sheet, the athletics official at the venue clicked the wrong box. There were two boxes — participating and not participating — and the official could have ticked the wrong box,' sources told TOI. Speaking to TOI, Seema confirmed that she was not the only Indian sprinter to miss out on the race. 'It's a matter of shame that our athletes' names are not there. Athletes from Pakistan and Sri Lanka are in the start list. Three of us were to compete in the 10,000m — Anjali Devi, Nirmala and me — but our names were missing from the start list,' Seema told TOI. AIU launches investigation after University Games controversy Meanwhile, PTI has reported that the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) has launched an investigation into the matter. 'We have been informed about this and the matter is being investigated,' AIU Secretary Dr Pankaj Mittal told PTI. As per a source, the administrative lapses with the badminton team began from the selection trials held at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), Bhubaneswar STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'During the managers' meeting, officials were given a letter listing all 12 players from India. It was their responsibility to read it carefully, check for missing or injured players, and confirm or adjust the names accordingly. However, they took it lightly,' the source said. 'The names of players who hadn't attended trials were there. They came here only to enjoy. In the meeting, they also made a basic mistake. They were supposed to declare which player would play singles, doubles, and mixed, but didn't process it properly.' Saneeth Dayanand, Sathish Kumar Karunakaran, Devika Sihag, Tasnim Mir, Varshini Viswanath Sri, and Vaishnavi Khadkekar were the six who competed in the mixed team event.
Time of India
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
'Who is to be blamed?': Paid Rs 2.5 lakh to represent India, dream snatched by admin mistake
Devyaniba Zala is a U-23 National Champion. (Instagram) Indian sprinter Devyaniba Zala was unable to participate in the 400m race at the World University Games after her name disappeared from the start list upon arrival at the venue, despite being initially included in the official entry list. The 23-year-old athlete from Saurashtra, who had been preparing for over a year and had paid Rs 2.5 lakhs to participate, missed her opportunity due to late alterations made by officials in submitting the confirmation list. The incident came to light through Devyaniba's Instagram post where she shared evidence of her name in the official entry list, along with a scribbled pen writing that struck out another athlete's name to include hers. She also shared communication from the Kalinga Institute of Technology regarding the substantial participation fee. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! "I have been preparing for this event for over a year and was in good shape to clock a PB and make it to the 400m final and do something special. But when the start list for Day 1 came out last evening, my name in the entry went missing from the 400m women's list," Devyaniba wrote on her Instagram post. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like No annual fees for life UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo Athlete Devyaniba Zala in an Instagram post. The athlete, who holds a personal best of 53.17 seconds achieved in April, expressed her frustration with the officials' handling of the situation. "The official of the team tells me that the date and time for submission are over, and we are trying. But when it is a global competition, how can a world committee accept an entry which is scribbled and written with a pen?" Devyaniba questioned. "It might be very casual for the officials, but not to me, being an athlete who has missed the entry this way at the global competition," Devyaniba added. Devyaniba Zala showcased the fees paid to represent India at the World University Games in Germany. (Instagram) "A fee of 2.50 lakhs to represent my country, and I miss out on getting an entry at the final moment," Devyaniba captioned her social media post. This incident is not isolated, as the World University Games has faced other instances of mismanagement. The Indian badminton team, which won the mixed team bronze medal at the tournament in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany, encountered similar administrative issues when six out of twelve selected shuttlers were prevented from participating due to alleged administrative lapses. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
News18
a day ago
- Sport
- News18
Utter Mismanagement At World University Games! After Shuttlers, Sprinter Misses Race
Last Updated: Indian sprinter Devyaniba Zala has missed her 400m race at the World University Games due to mismanagement, despite being initially included in the start list. In what has come as yet another example of mismanagement by officials at the ongoing World University Games, 400m sprinter Devyaniba Zala was unable to participate in the race after her name vanished from the start list upon her arrival at the venue, despite being initially included. According to an Instagram post by Devyaniba, her entry went missing due to the late alteration made by the officials in submitting the confirmation list. Devyaniba also shared images showing her name in the official entry list, a scribbled pen writing which strikes out another athlete's name to include hers, as well as the communication from the Kalinga Institute of Technology, where it has been mentioned that the athlete has to spend a whopping Rs 2.5 lakhs to take part in the University Games. 'I have been preparing for this event for over a year and was in good shape to clock a PB and make it to the 400m final and do something special. But when the start list for Day 1 came out last evening, my name in the entry went missing from the 400m women's list," Devyaniba wrote on her Instagram post. 'The official of the team tells me that the date and time for submission are over, and we are trying. But when it is a global competition, how can a world committee accept an entry which is scribbled and written with a pen?" Devyaniba questioned. 'It might be very casual for the officials, but not to me, being an athlete who has missed the entry this way at the global competition," Devyaniba added. The 23-year-old from Saurashtra has a personal best of 53.17 seconds, which she clocked in April. 'A fee of 2.50lakh Rupees to represent my country, and I miss out on getting an entry at the final moment," Devyaniba captioned her post. Notably, this is not the first instance of mismanagement at the World University Games. The Indian badminton team that won the mixed team bronze medal at the tournament in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany, has been hit by a controversy over selection after six of the 12 chosen shuttlers were barred from taking part because of an alleged administrative lapse. view comments First Published: July 22, 2025, 08:06 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
