New Delhi: Lack of communication between the governing bodies of golf has led to a ‘deserving’ Aditi Ashok missing out on the Arjuna Award, the Women’s Golf Association claimed here, Tuesday.
“We were shocked to know that Aditi Ashok’s name was not there in the Arjuna Awards list,” secretary-general, WGAI, Champika Sayal, said.
Aditi became the youngest and first Indian to win the Lalla Aicha Tour School and secured her Ladies European Tour card for the 2016 season. The 20-year-old had won the 2016 Hero Women’s Indian Open and in the process became the first Indian to win a Ladies European Tour title.
Sayal put the onus for Aditi’s loss on the Indian Golf Union (IGU), the governing body of golf in the country. She alleged that the parent body refused to convey any information to WGAI.
“They are not doing anything and at the same time they are not willing to give the charge. The fact is today a deserving player has not won the Arjuna and that’s a massive loss,” Sayal said. “We don’t get access to what is happening in IGU, no meetings, no circulars. Unfortunately, when we see the sport is not being developed we can’t do anything,” lamented the official.
When asked IGU about the issue, director general Major General Bibhuti Bhushan (Retd), clarified that failure to file Aditi’s nomination was because the golfer herself had not signed a form, which was vital for the paperwork.
“We recommended two names this year – Subhankar Sharma Sharma and Aditi Ashok. Shubhankar signed the form we sent, but Aditi did not,” informed Bibhuti. “If the player does not sign the form we cannot do anything,” he added.
