India’s four-member taekwondo squad missed an Asian Olympic qualifying match in Jordan due to lack of understanding of a 14-day quarantine rule. The two-day match concluded on Saturday in Amman. “The taekwondo group couldn’t take part in Olympic qualification match in Jordan as a result of the organising committee refused visa to the Indian group due to surge in Covid-19 instances in India,” a taekwondo coach told IANS. The four-member national team was selected on May 7 in Lucknow but was not apprised of the mandatory two-week quarantine rule by the ad-hoc body that runs the sport in the country at the moment.
Kashish Malik (57 kg) and Margerettge Regi (67 kg) were selected in the women’s group, while Akshay Hooda (68 kg) and Navjeet Singh Mann (80 kg) were picked in the men’s section for the Asian qualifying competition.
“We were told on May 17, a day before we were supposed to fly to Jordan that there is a quarantine rule of 14 days for the Indian team. Since the competition was scheduled for Friday and Saturday, we had no chance to compete,” stated a participant chosen within the India group.
In the absence of Taekwondo Federation of India (TFI), which has been derecognised by sports activities ministry since 2014 for not following the National Sports Code, Sports Authority of India (SAI) and Indian Olympic Association-appointed advert hoc physique — Team Taekwondo — had carried out trials in Lucknow.
Namdev Shirgaonkar, president of the advert hoc physique, was reluctant to reveal the rationale behind the goof-up.
“We tried our greatest to get the 14-day quarantine rule waived off however the Jordanian authorities didn’t agree,” said Shirgaonkar.
The competition in Jordan was organised in eight weight categories, including four in women’s section. Top two athletes in each weight category were eligible to win tickets for the Tokyo Olympic Games starting July 23.
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