Olympian dressage rider Anush Agarwalla and the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) ad-hoc panel have entered into a fresh exchange over the selection process for the upcoming Asian Games, with the panel alleging that he made “inaccurate” and “misleading” claims, while the rider has demanded evidence to substantiate those claims.
The exchange unfolded through a series of emails on Thursday, a day after Agarwalla requested details of the process that resulted in the selection of India’s dressage team for the continental event.
In a communication issued by EFI Assistant Secretary Nafe Singh Kadian, the federation stated that several remarks made by Agarwalla regarding a meeting held on June 18 were “inaccurate, misleading and are denied and disputed”.
The ad-hoc panel said Agarwalla was granted a personal meeting with selection committee member Col. Sandeep Dewan, even though no such hearing was provided for under the selection criteria.
The federation further stated that the rider was heard at length in the presence of Kadian and was invited to submit all supporting material and representations in support of his claims.
According to EFI, all submissions made by Agarwalla – including an email dated June 17 and a document titled “Summary of Asian Games 2026 Qualifications” shared on June 14 – were reviewed before the order of merit and the final team were determined.
“The Order of Merit and selection of the final team have been determined strictly in accordance with the applicable Dressage Selection Criteria Version 4.0 and the subsequent prevailing amendments,” the EFI panel said, adding that no grounds were found to review or modify the recommendations made on June 15.
In his response later on Thursday, Agarwalla rejected the EFI’s allegation that he had made false or misleading statements and asked the federation to identify the specific parts of his communication it considered inaccurate.
“Such allegations are wholly unfounded and appear to be an attempt to deflect attention from the substantive issues repeatedly raised by me and consistently left unanswered,” Agarwalla wrote.
The rider also questioned EFI’s description of the June 18 meeting, stating that it omitted the presence of Naomi Julia Dewan, daughter of Sandeep Dewan, a member of the EFI Dressage selection committee.
He sought clarification on the capacity in which she attended the meeting and why her presence was not disclosed in EFI’s response.
“Why her presence was considered necessary in what was ostensibly a personal hearing,” he wrote.
Agarwalla further maintained that despite travelling from Germany for the meeting, he was not provided details on the calculations used to prepare the order of merit, the methodology behind the team selection, the identity of the authority that took the final decision, or the reasons for his exclusion from the squad.
He also accused EFI of adopting contradictory positions by stating that no personal hearing was envisaged under the selection criteria while simultaneously citing the meeting as evidence of compliance with principles of natural justice.
The rider called on EFI to specify the allegedly false statements in his communication and to disclose the calculations, methodology, and basis on which the order of merit and final team were prepared.
The dispute comes days after EFI finalised its dressage recommendations for the Asian Games, with Agarwalla continuing to press for greater transparency in the selection process.
The EFI selected India’s dressage squad for the Games comprising Shruti Vora (Magnanimous), Gaurav Pundir (Milli), Jai Sud (Goofy La Perla), and Hriday Chheda (Dono Di Maggio), leaving out Agarwalla, India’s lone dressage representative at the Paris Olympics and a member of the gold medal-winning team at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Agarwalla was named a reserve alongside Sudipti Hajela, prompting him to question his exclusion.
He alleged a lack of transparency in the selection process and sought details of the calculations and criteria used by the EFI ad-hoc panel.
The EFI has been functioning under an ad-hoc committee appointed by the Indian Olympic Association following governance disputes and administrative issues within the national federation.
The committee was constituted on March 27 following a Delhi High Court directive that called for the restoration of democratic governance in the federation after the tenure of the previous executive committee ended in 2023.
The four-member panel, headed by Yashodhara Raje Scindia, was tasked with administering the federation, reforming its constitution, and conducting fresh elections.
The IOA removed member (Administration) Col. Ashok Yadav from the panel, citing complaints about his conduct and functioning.
Yadav, in turn, alleged that he was sidelined for opposing what he described as attempts to favour certain riders and bypass established selection rules, exposing divisions within the ad-hoc body.
With PTI Inputs
