By IANS
New Delhi : As a mark of protest, national badminton champion Chetan Anand and his wife Jwala Gutta have decided to skip the two-day selection trial in Hyderabad starting Sunday for the upcoming Sudirman Cup in Scotland.
"We have decided to skip the trial as a protest. We want to know why our names were not sent for the Indonesian Open and Singapore Open when we wanted to go at our own expenses," Chetan told IANS over telephone Saturday from Hyderabad.
The players are protesting against the Badminton Association of India's (BAI) decision to bar players from taking part in any international tournament during the national camps.
The camp is currently underway in Hyderabad, and some of the top players including the duo have already given it a miss.
"I have repeatedly written to BAI about it but didn't get any reply. They owe it to us. We are the top players in the country and we don't deserve this kind of treatment," said Jwala.
Anand, who is ranked 30th in the world, said BAI's decision to stop the players from participating in the international tournaments will hamper their rankings.
"This year is very crucial for us as we have to qualify for the Olympics. And if BAI acts like that, then it will always hamper our rankings and our qualification chances for the Olympics," said Anand.
Anand added that they were ready to play for the country, but the national body should allow them to go and participate in other rankings tournament as well.
BAI announced Thursday that all the players should attend the two-day trial at the Gopi Chand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad for the Sudirman Cup, to be held from July 11-17.
The text of the letter sent to players has irked also them.
According to Jwala, the letter doesn't specify when they have to attend the camp.
"The text says nothing whether we have to attend the trials or not. It just says that a selection trail would be held in Hyderabad," she said. "I also don't understand the logic of holding trails at such a short notice."
Despite all the odds, the duo is confident that they will make it for the Sudirman Cup squad.
"I don't see any reason why I won't be selected for the tournament. I am the No.1 player in the country and also ranked 30th in the world," said Anand.
Jwala went on to add that she has not been defeated for seven years in the domestic circuit and making her way into the squad was no big deal.