Manika alleges violation of TTFI constitution

NEW DELHI: Star table tennis player Manika Batra on Friday alleged that the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) violated its own Constitution while selecting the squad for the upcoming Asian Games but also admitted that she is “mentally exhausted” and is “putting the sword down”.

However the federation maintained that the process was carried out strictly in accordance with the rules. The 31-year-old was named among the reserves when the TTFI announced its 10-member contingent for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, to be held from September 19 to October 4.

“A nine-member committee decided my fate, yet I am being told that the process was fully compliant with the Constitution and the rules,” Batra said.

“I am mentally exhausted with this fight and for now, I am putting my sword down,” Batra stated.

“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,” she said.

According to TTFI, players were selected using a formula that gave 50% weightage to national rankings, 40% to world rankings and 10% to selection committe’s discretion

The women’s squad will be led by Sreeja Akula, featuring the likes of Yashaswini Ghorpade, Diya Chitale, Sutirtha Mukherjee and Syndrela Das.