New Delhi, June 26 (IANS) Ace paddler Manika Batra said she is “mentally exhausted” and “putting her swords down” from her ongoing selection battle with the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI), while also expressing her dissatisfaction over the federation’s reply to the three-time Olympian’s demand for clarification over her exclusion from the Asian Games squad, pointing out the violation of the TTFI Constitution.

After the TTFI picked a 10-member men’s and women’s team led by Olympians Sreeja Akula and G Sathiyan for the upcoming Asian Games 2026, Manika questioned her exclusion from the squad for the continental event to be played at Aichi-Nagoya in Japan

Manika was named among the reserves along Swastika Ghosh. Her absence from the squad was surprising and has resulted in a controversy, as the star athlete termed her omission “arbitrary and lacking transparency” and had requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to intervene, warning of legal recourse if satisfactory explanations are not provided.

In response to Manika’s query, TTFI had said that the selection process was carried out “strictly in accordance with the selection policy”. It also rejected claims that Manika was not considered for selection, stating that “On the contrary, your candidature was specifically considered and voted upon by the selection committee.”

Reacting to TTFI’s reply, Manika said that there is a clear mismatch between TFFI written laws and its execution, highlighting Article 24(C) in TTFI’s constitution which says no more than seven members can be constituted in a sub-committee.

In a statement, Manika claimed that the document sent to her by TTFI claimed to show that a “9-member selection committee decided the Asian Games team.”

“TTFI, in its response to me, has stated that the entire selection process was conducted strictly in accordance with the rules. However, the documents available with me show that a 9-member Selection Committee decided the Asian Games team, while Article 24(C) (j) of the TTFI Constitution states that no Sub-Committee can have more than 7 members,” Manika said in a statement.

“A 9-member committee decided my fate, yet I am being told that the process was fully compliant with the Constitution and the rules. I will leave it to the people to decide, especially those who have repeatedly said that rules must be respected and followed equally by everyone,” she added.

The Asian Games bronze medallist further said that she is putting her swords down as she is mentally exhausted from the fight and wants to focus on the tournament she is currently competing in and wished the selected contingent well for the continental event in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

“I am mentally exhausted from this fight, and for now, I am putting my sword down. I have a bigger responsibility today. I am currently at a tournament representing India, and my complete focus will now be on the tournament ahead. To the selected team, I wish you nothing but success. Go and make India proud,” she concluded.

The TTFI is yet to issue a formal clarification regarding the allegedly oversized selection committee.

–IANS

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