Bhagat complains against India coach Khanna over deleted social media post

NEW DELHI: Asian Para Games medallists have written to sports authorities, seeking an inquiry into a now-deleted social media post by national para badminton coach Gaurav Khanna predicting India's para badminton medal tally ahead of the finals at the recently concluded multisport continental event in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.In an email dated Oct 27, sent at 8.07pm to sports ministry officials, the Sports Authority of India's (SAI) ED Teams division, DG SAI and Badminton Association of India (BAI) president and secretary general, the medallists raised concerns over the post and its potential impact on athletes competing in the tournament. A copy of the email is in possession of TOI.

According to a screenshot of the post available with TOI, Khanna allegedly made the prediction on Oct 22, a day before the finals on Oct 23.

He forecast 16 medals for India — two gold, six silver and eight bronze — and identified Nitesh Kumar and Naveen Sivakumar as gold medallists in men's singles SL3 and SL4, respectively. He predicted a silver for India's SL3 representative.India eventually won 16 medals, but finished with three gold, five silver and eight bronze. Nitesh defeated his compatriot Pramod Bhagat in the men's singles SL3 final, while debutant Naveen clinched the SL4 gold.

Thulasimathi Murugesan and Manasi Joshi won gold in women's doubles SL3-SU5, contrary to the silver predicted for them.Khanna deleted the post after the finals, but a screenshot of it was preserved.

In their communication to the sports authorities, the medallists raised concerns about the appropriateness of publicly predicting medal outcomes while an international competition was still underway. They highlighted the potential embarrassment and pressure such predictions could cause athletes preparing for crucial finals.The email also raised concerns about the possible impact of the post on the morale of the Indian contingent, with athletes competing in multiple finals and striving to win medals for the country.The medallists called for the matter to be examined by the relevant authorities and for appropriate action to be considered under the applicable rules and code of conduct.

The incident has raised questions about the responsibilities of national coaches in their public communications during major international competitions, particularly when athletes are still competing for medals.However, the prediction alone does not establish match-fixing or other wrongdoing, and no evidence of such conduct has been provided.The medallists stressed the importance of ensuring that athletes receive the support and encouragement they need during international competitions and that public commentary does not undermine the morale or unity of the national contingent.