Hold It! Delhi High Court Hits Pause On Selection Of Two Athletes Weeks Ahead Of Winer Olympics

The selection of the two Indian athletes for the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, by an ad-hoc committee of the Indian Olympic Association, has been put on hold by the Delhi High Court.

In a petition filed at the Delhi High Court, Manjeet, a cross-country skier, challenged the IOA’s decision to forward Stanzin Lundup’s name for the 2026 Winter Olympics in cross-country skiing.

Manjeet argued that he was overlooked despite being higher in the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) rankings. He also alleged procedural lapses and conflicts of interest in the selection process by the ad-hoc committee, which the IOA constituted to manage Ski and Snowboard India.

India has earned two quotas for the 2026 Winter Olympics (February 6 to 22).

The first of these was earned by Alpine Skier Arif Khan, who qualified based on his world ranking. Arif is the only Indian who competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

“Needless to state that the selection/forwarding of the names of the athletes for the upcoming Olympic Winter Games, Milano Cortina 2026, would be subject to the outcome of the present petition,” Justice Amit Sharma said in his order on Friday.

In his petition, Manjeet stated that as per the eligibility criteria, he was ranked No. 1 in the FIS standings. However, this was overlooked in favour of forwarding Lundup’s name.

The petition also contended that the ad-hoc committee constituted as per Office Order dated 13.10.2023, issued by the President of the Indian Olympic Association, in consultation with and on the recommendation of the International Ski & Snowboard Federation (ISF), had not been ratified by the Executive Council or the General Meeting of the IOA. Furthermore, the constitution of the ad-hoc committee was challenged because one of its members, Mr Arif Mohd. Khan, is a competing athlete whose name was also submitted in the category of Men Alpine Skiing for the upcoming Olympic Winter Games, creating a conflict of interest.

The IOA, in its submission to the court, stated that the names of Arif Mohd. Khan for Men Alpine Skiing and Stanzin Lundup for cross-country skiing had been forwarded for participation in the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

The Sports Ministry, in its submission, said it could not independently verify how India secured a quota in Cross Country Skiing. They noted that three Indian athletes participated in multiple events at the 44th FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, held from 26 Feb to 9 Mar 2025 in Trondheim, Norway, which was part of the qualification system. However, it could not be conclusively determined how Stanzin Lundup secured the quota place. As quotas are allocated to the country, clarification was sought on the basis for selecting both athletes to represent India at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

The High Court said that the selection/forwarding of the names of the athletes for the upcoming Winter Games would be subject to the outcome of the present petition. The case has been listed for January 27.

(With Inputs From Agencies)