AFI mulls cracking the whip on Khushbir Kaur and her coach

Another top race walker, Manish Singh Rawat also did not take part despite his name was there in the starting line-up of the men’s 20km event.

Both Khushbir and Manish could be axed from the Indian team for the Asian Race Walking Championships, to be held in Nomi, Japan on March 20.

A furious AFI Selection Committee Chairman Gurbachan Singh Randhawa, who watched the proceedings, said that those who did not take part today, will not be selected for the Asian Championships. He even went to the extent of saying that he would recommend the AFI to throw out the likes of Khushbir and Manish from the national camp.

“Any athlete who did not participate today will not be selected for Asian Race Walking Championships. We have told all the athletes to take part in the championships if they want to be selected for the Asian event. We will be very tough on that,” Randhawa, who had finished fifth in 110m hurdles finals in 1964 Tokyo Olympics, told PTI.

“I will also recommend to the AFI that these athletes be thrown out of the national camps. They cannot behave like this. We will see what reason their coach gives (for non-participation),” he added.

The finger of suspicion was directed towards foreign coach Alexander Artsybashev, who had earlier stopped Khushbir from taking part in national level events.

During the National Open Championships here in November 2014, Khushbir pulled out midway after the Russian-born coach stopped her from competing further, citing the danger of her picking up an injury.

Alexander has been playing truant with the AFI officials for some time now and a top official revealed that he will be shown the door and another foreign coach, an Australian, will take over in the next couple of months.

“Alexander will not continue after Asian Championships (on March 20) in Japan. A new coach from Australia is coming. The paperwork for the appointment is being done currently with SAI. By April, the new coach should join,” a top AFI official said on the condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, AFI Secretary C K Valson also said that the federation will take action this time against the likes of Khushbir and Manish for pulling out at the last minute without informing the NSF.

“Khushbir and Manish did not inform us that they are not taking part in the event and did not furnish us any reason behind their non-participation. We will take action as this kind of things cannot go on without any punishment,” he said.

“Choosing an athlete to represent the country is the job of AFI selection committee but we will surely write to them (selection committee) that these athletes pulled out at the last minute without giving prior information to us,” he added.

On February 5, during the announcement of this National Race Walk Championships, both Khushbir and Manish had said that they were 100 per cent fit but their participation would be decided by national coach Alexander.

Asked why Khushbir and Manish did not take part in the championships today, Alexander initially refused to comment on the matter but later said that both the race walkers were unwell.

“Khushbir and Manish are not well and they are having cough and fever,” he said.

Asked about Khushbir having said on February 5 that her coach (Alexander) will take a final call on her participation, Alexander said, “Ten days back, she was not having fever but she has fever now. These athletes are top athletes of the country. They are not fit and their problems may aggravate (if they take part today).”