Badminton Association of India (BAI) Secretary Sanjay Mishra assured players and parents that age falsifying issues will be seriously investigated and strict action will be taken against the culprits.
Mishra was interacting with parents and players at the All India U-13 qualifying tournament in Mohali, which was marred by controversies over age fraud. He spent about an hour listening to complaints from parents who were protesting against a group of players they claimed were of legal age.
The secretary said that the association will not tolerate any irregularity on the part of the players.
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Mishra said the IDs of the two players, who were found guilty of presenting questionable documents during registration, would be cancelled. He also assured that a detailed investigation will be carried out against other players named by the parents.
In a press release, Mishra said:
“Further appropriate action would be taken with those found guilty after the Age Fraud Committee meeting to decide the amount of the action.”
No decision taken to strip event of points, says Badminton Association
There was talk of whether the tournament that would resume after the match would be stripped of its ranking points.
The secretary clarified that the BAI did not make such a decision and that the organizers did not have the authority to respond to a call on such an important issue.
“Whether tournament points are deducted or voided is solely and entirely at the discretion of the BAI and not of any outside party. BAI has not reduced or canceled any points,” he added.
This was the first time in the history of Indian badminton that a tournament was stopped midway due to an overage fraud issue. The fourth day of the seven-day tournament was marred by controversy when aggrieved parents protested that the participants were over the age limit, forcing the organizers to stop the matches.
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