India’s Commonwealth Games gold medallists file complaints against IOA media committee member

Fresh from scripting history at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, India’s men’s T47 100m gold and silver medallists Dilip Mahadu Gavit and Mohammed Basil Morssinganakathi have lodged formal complaints with the sports ministry and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) against an IOA media committee member, alleging rude and disrespectful behaviour towards the country’s para athletes.

The complaints have been filed separately by Gavit, Basil and para athletics coach Pushpa NP, who was part of the Indian contingent in Glasgow. It is learnt that Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) CEO Rahul Swami has also submitted a similar complaint to the ministry and the IOA.

According to sources, the complaints name Sarvesh Kedia, an IOA media committee member who travelled to Glasgow as one of the Indian contingent’s press attaches and was attached to the chef-de-mission’s office. Kedia was among the 14 IOA officials accompanying India’s combined able-bodied and para athletes’ contingent.

In a complaint accessed by TOI, Pushpa alleged that Kedia “was talking loudly with our medal winners Dilip Gavit and Basil and coaches” and said the incident involved him and chief para athletics coach Satyanarayana. She urged the authorities to ensure that Kedia “is not involved in any para athletics media interaction” in future and sought appropriate action against him.

The alleged incident took place on July 30 after Gavit clocked 10.71 seconds — a Games record — to become India’s first male para athlete to win a Commonwealth Games athletics gold medal. Basil followed with a season-best of 10.83 seconds to claim silver as India completed a historic 1-2 finish in the men’s T47 100m final.

According to sources, a heated argument broke out between Kedia and Satyanarayana over facilitating the athletes’ media interactions before they proceeded for mandatory dope-control procedures. The exchange allegedly escalated into a brief physical altercation before coaches and athletes stepped in to defuse the situation. The incident reportedly left several members of the para athletics contingent deeply upset, prompting the athletes, coaches and PCI officials to submit formal complaints to the sports ministry and the IOA seeking action.