'Who is to be blamed?': Administrative lapse costs Devyaniba Zala a shot at representing India at World University Games

In yet another example of mismanagement by the officials at the ongoing World University Games, 400m runner Devyaniba Zala could not race as her name went missing from the starting list when she came to the stadium despite being listed initially. According to her per on Instagram, her entry went missing because of the late change that was made by the officials in submitting the confirmation list.

Devyaniba has also posted pictures of her name written in the official entry list, a handwritten pen mark on a document striking out another athlete's name to include hers, and also the message received from the Kalinga Institute of Technology where it has been mentioned that the sportsperson has to shell out a sum of Rs 2.5 lakh to participate in the University Games.

The 23-year-old athlete from Saurashtra has a personal best of 53.17 seconds, which she clocked last April. Notably, this is not the first such case of mismanagement in the ongoing World University Games. The Indian badminton squad that won the mixed team bronze medal winners in the Rhine-Ruhr, Germany, tournament has been engulfed in a controversy relating to selection after six of the 12 selected shuttlers were prohibited from competing due to an alleged administrative lapse.

See her Instagram post below:

In her post on Instagram, she wrote, “Heartbroken and Injustice at my very first international competition.* My 400m individual entry has gone missing because of the late alteration by the officials in submitting the confirmation list. Although the first information came from KIIT University Bhubaneshwar that i have been selected for 400m for FISU WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES RHINE-RUHR GERMANY 2025.”

“I have been preparing for this event for over a year and was in a good shape to clock a PB and to make it to the 400m final and do something Special. But it until the start list for Day-1 came out last evening where my name in the entry went missing from the 400m women list. While the women who have a PB of 1:01.00sec gets to compete here and i hold a PB of 53.17seconds and my name isn't there in the start list. And the Official of the team tells me that the date and time for submission is over and we are trying. But when it is a global competition, how can a world committee accept an entry which is scribbled and written from a Pen.”

“It might be very casual for the officials but not to me being an athlete or any other athlete who has missed the entry this way at the Global competition. IS THIS MISTAKE A SILLY ONE? Definitely Not! It has a Major impact on my life and my sporting career ahead where it really takes a lot of sacrifice, courage and passion to be here. WHO IS TO BE BLAMED?”