Ministry upholds selection policy, refuses Asiad clearance to taekwondo pair

NEW DELHI: The sports ministry has declined to grant clearance for the inclusion of taekwondo athletes Kashish Malik and Aranaya Thakur in India’s contingent for the Asian Games, citing non-fulfillment of the prescribed eligibility criteria.SAI informed the ministry that Kashish won bronze in the women’s 53kg category while Aranaya finished ninth in the women’s 57kg category at the Asian taekwondo meet in Mongolia. However, the 53kg category is not an Asiad event while Aranaya secured the ninth position.

The ministry concluded that neither athlete satisfied the benchmark requiring a top-six Asian championship finish in the relevant event, rendering the request for relaxation meritless under policy. The ministry noted that no sports federation is currently recognised as the NSF for taekwondo in India. The decision was issued after complying with a June 17, 2026 order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in the case ‘Aranaya Thakur vs Union of India & Others’, directing the ministry to consider the representation within the applicable rules and selection policy.