Questions raised on Sports Authority of India's age determination tests

Siril Varma won the boys (under-15) singles title at the Asian Youth Badminton Championship 2013 in Indonesia

The controversy over Sports Authority of India (SAI) pulling out four members of the U-17 team for the Junior Badminton Championships in Indonesia on the charges of age fraud has seen a new twist.

In an embarrassing development, the SAI was left red-faced when one of the shuttlers charged by them for being overage was cleared by AIIMS, or the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, the Times of India reports.

As reported earlier, four players in the U-17 age group -Siril Varma, Bhavya Rishi, Kalpita Sawant and Kanika Kanwal were found to be overage.

SAI received various complaints about athletes using fake certificates and forging their age to play in a favourable age group, as a result an inspection was ordered.

Siril Varma, one of the shuttlers found to be overage by SAI, has been surprisingly cleared by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

As reported by Mumbai Mirror, Dr. Smriti Hari, additional professor of Department of Radiology at AIIMS conducted the tests on Siril, and certified that his age lies between 16 to 18 years. The shuttler’s parents were appalled by the report of their son being overage, and as a result, took him to AIIMS. Even the medical team at AIIMS were surprised at the reports given by SAI.

After the AIIMS results, Siril, who was top-seeded in the U-17 category as well being a former U-15 Asian champion, claimed that he had been punished for no reason. “I have done no wrong. I’m being punished for no fault of mine. I had worked hard for the last three months for this championship,” he said.

Two other shuttlers, Bhavya Rishi and Kalpita Sawant, have also raised fingers at the SAI. According to Times of India, statistical records suggest that their birth certificates are genuine as they showed the durations of their mothers' pregnancy and the dates of delivery.

"When the dates of mother's pregnancy are recorded with a reputed hospital how can the age be wrong? There is a big scam here because the real cheats were cleared," said Nilesh Prabhu, who is helping out the parents by exposing several age fraud cases through RTI.

National team coach Pullela Gopichand also gave his opinion on the case, “It is sad India have been denied of a possible medal. The overall handling of the case was bad. I think it is important to support Siril and restore his confidence.” Gopichand's daughter Gayatri is reportedly among those in the U-15 squad who will miss the tournament.