Chennai: The Madras high court has directed the Roller Skating Federation of India (RSFI), Ahmedabad, to permit a minor skater to participate in the rolling competition at the 54th National Roller Speed Skating Championship in Bengaluru.
Justice B. Rajendran gave the directive while passing orders on a petition from S. Arul, father of Arul Jenil, a plus-1 student from Chennai. According to Arul, his son, who is an inline speed skater, having qualified in the district championship events, selected and participated in the 26th Tamil Nadu Roller Skating Championship events 2016 conducted at Chennai between November 7 and 11, 2016.
He came first in two events viz Rink VI (1000m) and Point to Point and won two gold medals with 10 points and for coming second in Road Elimination (21km), he won a silver medal with 3 points. In the Elimination (20km) race, when his son was in the lead, the officials of TNRSA declared the race as cancelled. He had not been awarded the medal and certificate for the same in addition to the Road Elimination (21 km) won by him. Thirteen points won by his son keep him in the second position among the selected participants, he added.
The judge directed the RSFI to permit Jenil to participate as if he has been selected from TN in the age group of 12 and 16 in the rolling competition viz., in road elimination race, point to point, rink race-IV QF and SF and elimination race to be held on January 20, 2017 or any other date at the 54th National Roller Speed Skating championship, Bangalore. Necessary fixtures should be drawn by the RSFI for the inclusion of the petitioner’s son in the events, the judge added.
The judge made it clear that the petitioner’s son was to be treated as the fifth candidate from TN along with other four candidates by name K.R. Aravind, V. Anandkumar, A Md. Arish and S. Kishore Venkatesh.
The TNRSA was also directed to confirm the RSFI about his eligibility to participate in the said National Roller Speed Skating championship in all the four events as he has obtained 13 points in the selection process, the judge added.
