"The hard work and sacrifice that goes into preparing for major games is rarely appreciated" Dipa Karmakar on Asian Games snub 

Indian gymnast and Olympian Dipa Karmakar has taken to Twitter to speak out on her name being cut from the 2023 Asian Games squad.

The athlete said that she is utilizing her freedom of speech by speaking out on Independence Day. She claimed that her predicted exclusion from the Asian Games, an event she has been looking forward to for two years now, has proven to be very demotivating and discouraging.

She added that she was surprised that she might not be allowed to participate in the games, despite the fact that she topped the trials held in Bhubaneswar earlier.

While the gymnast was on the initial list for the games, her name was cut when it was discovered that she didn't meet the criteria. Dipa did reach out to the sports ministry after she was excluded from the list and was backed by the Gymnastics Federation of India.

Speaking out further on the issue, Dipa said that the reasons behind the decision haven't been communicated to her, leaving her and fellow gymnasts in the dark about their fate.

Dipa further said that the hard work and sacrifice that goes into preparing for major games is rarely appreciated and is met with uncertainty and silence.

She closed her statement on Twitter by saying that she will continue training as she owes it to her country and will await a positive response regarding her participation in the Hangzhou Games come September.

Why Dipa Karmakar was not named in the Asian Games squad

Despite topping the charts in the trial at Bhubaneswar, Dipa Karmakar's name was not present in the list of gymnasts who will head to the 2023 games.

This was because she didn't fulfill the criteria that state:

"In individual events during the last 12 months prior to the commencement of the event (Asian Games), the performance of the sports persons should not be less than the performance achieved by the eighth position holder of the 2018 Asian Games in measurable sports."

Given the fact that Karmakar has suffered multiple injuries and a doping ban in the last few years, this particular criterion is inaccessible to the gymnast.

Karmakar herself reached out to the Sports Ministry in hopes of a relaxation of rules and was backed by the Gymnastics Federation of India.