New Delhi: The Athletics Federation of India trimmed down the squad for the upcoming Commonwealth Games, leaving out controversial triple jumper Renjith Maheshwary, the men’s 4x100m relay team and young sprinter Dutee Chand.
The India squad, which originally featured 41 athletes, will now see 32 members take the field in Glasgow, Scotland, from July 23 to August 3.
Dutee Chand, who was originally named in the women’s 4x100m relay team, has reportedly been under the scanner with the Sports Authority of India ordering a gender test on her. The 18-year-old has been in good form recently, bagging two gold medals in the 200m and 4x400m relay events at the Asian Junior Athletics Championships in Taipei last month.
SAI director general Jiji Thomson confirmed that a woman athlete underwent a gender test in Bengaluru but refused to divulge her name.
“A gender test was conducted on a woman athlete in Bengaluru. If she is there in the list of CWG participants, her name will have to be deleted from the list,” Thomson was quoted as saying.
Maheshwary, discus thrower Harwant Kaur and the six-member men’s 4x100m relay team too were left out.
A senior AFI official said the list had to be cut down as some of the athletes were not fit.
“We have been conducting fitness tests in the camp and some of our athletes are either injured or not fully fit,” said an official on condition of anonymity.
He added that the six-member men’s 4x100 m relay team had to be pulled out as two runners were not fit.
Said Maheshwary, 2010 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, “I have been working hard in the camp. All my efforts were concentrated towards achieving a good mark in the CWG and the Asian Games.
“The selection committee told me to concentrate on the Asiad and thus I need to follow their orders.”
Harwant, on the other hand, is out of action since the national inter-state athletics championships in June 2012.
