Teenage wushu athlete threatens suicide after Asian Games snub: Controversy explained

18-year-old Indian wushu athlete Divyanshi has threatened to take her own life after being dropped from India’s Asian Games squad at the last minute. She has alleged that she was unfairly removed from the 60kg Sanda category, just days before the contingent is set to leave for Japan.

In a nearly nine-minute video posted on Friday, September 11, the 18-year-old said she had been mentally harassed for months and no longer saw a point in living. Divyanshi was replaced in the Asian Games squad by Roshibina Devi, the 2022 Asian Games silver medallist whom she had defeated in the selection trials.

WHY WAS DIVYANSHI REMOVED?

The Wushu Federation has said Divyanshi was removed from the squad after an ACL injury was detected during a medical examination and that she had not been training properly in the build-up to the Games. Her coach Ashok Gautam, however, has strongly disputed the federation’s version, claiming that Divyanshi’s injury was not serious enough to rule her out of the Asian Games and questioning the decision to replace her at the last minute.

The controversy has now escalated after Divyanshi, in her video from the national camp in Patiala, alleged, among other things, that Roshibina had deliberately injured her during training.

DIVYANSHI CLAIMS SHE TOPPED ALL FIVE TRIALS

According to Divyanshi’s coach Ashok Gautam, the 18-year-old had established herself as the No. 1 athlete in the 60kg category through a series of selection trials held over the past year. Gautam claimed that Divyanshi had competed in five trials and finished on top in all five, strengthening her case for a place in the Indian team for the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

Her eventual replacement by Roshibina Devi has therefore raised questions within Divyanshi’s camp, particularly because the two athletes had met during the final selection trials. Roshibina finished fourth in the trials and lost her semi-final to Divyanshi.

“She has had 5 trials over the last year, and she has been No.1 in all of them,” Gautam told India Today in an exclusive interview.

“Her name was removed at the last minute and Roshibina Devi was included. She is in the 4th spot in the trials and lost the semi-finals to Divyanshi.”

Roshibina, an Arjuna awardee and a silver medallist at the 2022 Asian Games, has considerably more experience on the international stage. Gautam went on to make a serious allegation about the selection process, claiming that Roshibina had used her influence to secure her place in the squad.

“Since she is an Arjuna awardee, she has used her powers to throw Divyanshi out. And she has manipulated her way into this,” he alleged.

WHAT DOES THE WUSHU FEDERATION HAVE TO SAY?

The Wushu Federation’s explanation for Divyanshi’s exclusion centres on her fitness. According to the federation, Divyanshi had been hiding a knee injury and was not training properly in the build-up to the Asian Games. A subsequent medical examination revealed an ACL injury, after which she was deemed unfit to participate in the Games.

The injury became the basis for the decision to remove her from the squad and bring Roshibina into the team. Divyanshi’s camp, however, has strongly rejected the suggestion that the injury was severe enough to prevent her from competing.

Gautam claimed that the injury occurred during the national camp and described it as a routine sporting injury rather than one that should automatically have ruled her out of the Asian Games.

“The injury happened during the camp. It is a normal injury. Doctors have repeatedly given it in writing that she can play with taping. It is not such a serious injury. If there is some problem, she can get treatment, but it is not a major issue,” he said.

ROSHIBINA HAS HER OWN INJURY ISSUES

Gautam also questioned the decision to apply the fitness argument to Divyanshi while selecting Roshibina.

“And what is the injury of the other girl, Roshibina Devi, who is being selected? She has an ACL injury in both her legs and has suffered a meniscus tear as well. Both her legs have injuries, yet they are sending her,” he claimed.

Gautam further questioned Roshibina’s recent competitive record, alleging that she had not won a medal or attended a camp for four years and had suffered a first-round defeat at a recent tournament in China. He also claimed that Roshibina did not meet the selection criteria being applied to Divyanshi.

“As per the selection criteria, there should be an international-level medal within two years. She does not have any international medal. She does not even have a national medal in the last four years,” Gautam alleged.

ALLEGATIONS OF HARASSMENT

For Divyanshi, however, the biggest grievance appears to be not simply that she was removed from the Asian Games squad, but the manner in which the decision was communicated to her. In her video, she claimed that she was not informed properly before her name was removed from the squad and that she was not given an opportunity to present her medical reports or explain her condition.

“You are cutting my name and then you are not even telling me. Why? At least tell me. I also have the right to present my side. I am 18 now, and I have the right to speak. I needed to present my point of view at that time. Why wasn’t I allowed to? I also needed to show the doctor’s report,” she said.

Divyanshi’s account suggests that the sudden change in the squad left her struggling to understand why she had gone from being selected for the Asian Games to being removed from the team. The episode has been particularly difficult for the teenager because, according to her account, she was given no indication that her spot was under threat.

She has also questioned why she was not given a chance to place her medical reports before the authorities before the final decision was taken. While the claims do not outright establish that the selection process was manipulated, but they offer an insight into how the entire matter has been mishandled.

THEY TRIED TO INJURE ME: DIVYANSHI

The dispute took another turn in Divyanshi’s video when she alleged that she had been subjected to sustained mental harassment at the national camp. She said the situation had continued from June and July and had left her emotionally exhausted.

“I am extremely forced to do all of this. I am extremely fed up, both with staying here and with everything that has happened, and I don’t think there is any point in living anymore. You tell me, is it right to mentally harass someone this much? I have been mentally harassed to such an extent. I have been subjected to this since July. From June-July until now, it is September, and she has been constantly after me because she wants to go to the Asian Games,” Divyanshi said.

Divyanshi also made a serious allegation against Roshibina, claiming that the senior athlete had deliberately injured her during a training session. According to Divyanshi, the incident took place during the team’s camp in Srinagar, when she was preparing for the Asian Games.

“She is going to the Sports Minister, sir, she is going everywhere, using her power wrongly. I request the federation with folded hands. I defeated her in the final selection trials. After that, they harassed me physically,” she said.

“You know, when there were 10 days left in our camp in Srinagar, she deliberately injured my shoulder. Because of that, I did not practise for four or five days.”

It was against this backdrop that Divyanshi made her most serious remarks in the video. India Today has learnt that the matter is far from over, as Divyanshi’s camp is trying to reverse the decision by reaching out through ministerial channels.

However, with just two days to go before the contingent leaves for Nagoya, it appears unlikely that much will change.

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