Badminton: Under-15 shuttler flunks age test

BENGALURU: In its bid to check age fraud in junior tournaments, the

Badminton Association of India

(

BAI

) scrutinized the records of two male shuttlers in the ongoing 16th Union Bank all India junior ranking tournament, before subjecting one of them to a verification test.

Following protests by parents in the previous national ranking tournament in Thiruvananthapuram, the duo, whose names were not revealed, came under the radar of a newly-formed BAI 10-man sub-committee to check age fraud. Subsequently, the governing body deputed an officer to cross-examine the duo's documents and oversee the conduct of tests if necessary.

As per a BAI circular issued recently, all players are, at the time of entering tournaments, required to produce birth certificates issued within a year of their birth. However, this is an issue with a number of players, including the two boys in question. The BAI will conduct random tests at upcoming events.

Rajiv Mehta

, the BAI officer on special duty here, said both boys had been cleared to participate in the city event. "One of the boys produced a medical certificate from age verification tests conducted by SAI Lucknow a couple of years ago before the junior Badminton Asia Championships. We have accepted that report, which stated he was U-15 as of 2015," he said. "In case of the other boy, who had participated in a sub-junior (U-15) event this year claiming to be 14 years, it was found that he was between 16 and 18 years after tests were conducted at a city hospital today," he said, stating that the Tanner Whitehouse 3 method of testing was employed.

BAI general secretary Anup Narang said the benefit of doubt would go to the player.

SGRH doctors enjoy sports extravaganza

Sir

Ganga Ram Hospital

, in its bid to promote health through sports, organised its first sports meet, GRESSUM '17, for all its resident doctors and consultants at the

Bal Bharti Public School

. The doctors displayed expertise in various disciplines in the three-day extravaganza. They were supported by their mentors Dr DS Rana, Dr SP Byotra, Dr

Anupam Sachdev

, Dr S Nundy, Dr

Atul Kakar

and Dr Atul Gogia.