New Delhi: World Karate Federation (WKF) has criticised the Indian Olympic Association president PT Usha for designating a “suspended ex-referee” as coach of the Indian karate team at the recent Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
India (IOA) had sent two karate athletes — Alisha Choudhary and Chetan Bhatt — to the Games in Japan. The sport in India has been in long-term governance crisis with multiple bodies staking claim as the national federation. The issue is being heard in courts. The sports ministry had asked IOA to form an ad-hoc committee to run the sport. While a two-member team was selected following trials after a court order, controversy arose over who would be sent as coach before a team leader was cleared.
In a strong letter, WKF president Antonio Espinos said the “karate team leader designated by the IOA was a suspended WKF ex-referee, not member of the Karate India Organisation (KIO), unable to act even as a coach of those athletes and therefore without any role.”
“Can you explain who appointed this person? Do you know that we had to select a coach of another country to assist these two athletes? Are you even aware of these facts? Who from the IOA was at the karate competition? If somebody, why he/she did not even try to approach me or the Asian Karate Federation?…Do you know that after the Asian Games, the Indian karate athletes have filed a complaint against their karate team leader in Japan?” he said in a letter on Friday.
WKF backs KIO
In a letter on June 1, IOA said since KIO was not a recognised NSF under the provisions of National Sports Code, it cannot use the word ‘India’ or claim to be the authorised body to hold national tournaments or selection trials.
WKF has backed KIO and said without KIO no “organized karate” would exist in India. Espinos said “no IOA representative held any contact/discussion with any official of the WKF during the Asian Games.”
“The WKF is ready and open to contribute in whatever ways are necessary to start collaboration between the IOA and KIO. In your attached letter to the Ministry you give a series of additional initiatives and recommendations, however we trust that after having seen your level of knowledge and information with regard to karate in India, you will seriously reconsider the content of your letter and take some internal decisions inside the IOA,” Espinos said.