Wushu player Divyanshi Choudhary on Saturday alleged ‘abuse of power’ after being dropped from India’s squad for the Asian Games, despite initially making it to the team and attending the official send-off ceremony in Delhi. According to Choudhary, her name was removed from the updated squad list from the 60-kg category released on September 11.

Roshibina Devi Naorem, a world medallist, two-time Asian medallist and Arjuna awardee, replaced her, whom Divyanshi claims she defeated in the selection trials. 

Devastated by the decision, Divyanshi shared a heart-wrenching video on Instagram, alleging that she had been subjected to unfair treatment. 

She said in the video, “I’m tired of this... I have been mentally harassed so much. Since June and July, they have been after me because she (Roshibina) wanted to go. Given that I beat her, why is it a problem for her now?”

She added, “I beat her, it’s my right to go there (Japan). She has been knocking at different doors... it’s abuse of power.”

Divyanshi disputes ‘unfit’ claim

The Wushu Association, on the other hand, has defended the decision to replace Divyanshi with Roshibina, saying they decided to proceed with the move following the decision taken by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and alleging that the young athlete had concealed an injury. 

However, Divyanshi had strongly disputed the claim that she was medically unfit to compete, saying the doctors who examined her did not deem her unfit. 

In an interaction with Sports Now, she said she experienced pain in her left knee on August 22, and it swelled the next day. Acting upon her coach’s advice, she underwent an MRI and was then examined by doctors in Patiala. 

She said the surgeon advised rehabilitation but told her that she could continue playing, while surgery might be required at a later stage. 

She asserted, “I had an injury, but the doctors here told me that my injury was not that serious. I went for a full check-up, and the doctor said surgery may be needed in the future, but not now.” 

“Why did I undergo an MRI if I wanted to hide the injury?”: Divyanshi

The 18-year-old athlete also rejected the allegations that she tried to hide her injury, pointing out that she underwent an MRI soon after experiencing the problem. She remarked, “If I wanted to hide my injury, why would I have got an MRI done? I showed everything. I have not seen any doctor who has given me a report saying that I am unfit.” 

Adding to the claims, she said that she resumed training following five days of recovery and was able to practice normally. She believes the injury was used as a reason to snub her from the Asian Games squad despite her ability to compete. 

However, no comment was received from Wushu Association President Bhupender Singh Bajwa until the report was filed.