New Delhi: No athlete’s name has been sent from India for karate in the 2026 Asian Games, which are scheduled to take place in Japan in September this year, an order passed by the Delhi High Court has revealed.
Flagging the absence of a recognised National Sports Federation (NSF) for karate in the country as “detrimental to the development of the sport in India”, the High Court said Monday that athletes should not be made to suffer due to administrative inaction.
The order was made available on the High Court website Thursday.
A two-judge bench of Justices Tejas Karia and Madhu Jain, noted that although the matter was “admittedly time-sensitive”, the central government had not yet forwarded the names of karate players for the 2026 Asian Games.
The High Court has listed the case for hearing next on 6 July, well past the deadline for sending entries.
Underlining how Indian athletes are adversely affected by this, it noted, “Athletes ought not to be made to suffer on account of administrative inaction and unresolved governance issues.”
Acting on the case of Akshay Mahara—a karate player who was expected to participate in the Asian Games this year—the High Court said that interests of athletes must remain paramount, and their opportunities to participate in international events cannot be allowed to be compromised due to disputes, regulatory uncertainty, or administrative failures.
Taking note of how karate players in India were being deprived of a fair opportunity on account of unresolved governance issues and the absence of a recognised NSF, the High Court said: “Karate, in India has, for several years, been affected by rival claims to governance and the absence of a recognised NSF. The consequences of such uncertainty have repeatedly been borne by athletes, who have thereby been prevented from participating in international events.”
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports had also issued an order on 23 February concerning the sport of karate, and directed the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to form an ad-hoc committee to select the players for Asian Games. However, the High Court noted that “no such committee has, till date, been constituted or operationalised”.
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Ad-hoc committee for karate
The sports ministry had also asked IOA to constitute the ad-hoc committee in consultation with the World Karate Federation (WKF) to oversee and manage karate-related affairs.
This committee was tasked with the overall management of the sport, including the selection of athletes and the submission of entries for the participation of sportspersons in international events, until a suitable federation recognised as the NSF for karate comes into existence.
Significantly, the order had noted that there were multiple bodies like the India Karate-Do Federation, Karate Association of India, Karate India Organisation, Karate India, and Karate Federation of India—all of which claimed to be governing the sport of karate in India—which would lead to confusion and administrative hurdles in the process.
Administrative inaction
Subsequently, on 19 May, the Delhi High Court’s single-judge bench, on Mahara’s petition, recorded the Centre’s stance that they will look into the athlete’s grievance and aim to provide a mechanism for selection of international entries for karate.
Mahara had moved the High Court seeking a direction to the Centre to create a transparent and fair selection process for Karate players for the Asian Games.
Despite this, the two-judge bench noted in its Monday order that “no mechanism has been put in place to redress the appellant’s grievance”.
In a turn of events, the names of India’s participants for the 22nd Asian Senior Karate Championship at Bali, Indonesia, appeared on the WKF portal, without any disclosed public notice, selection criteria or consultation with the Centre, or even with the ad-hoc committee which was contemplated in the 23 February order, the court noted.
Following this, Mahara once again sought interim directions from the Delhi High Court in his case, urgently, before the closure of the entry period for Asian Games in July this year.
The two-judge bench also noted that in May, the single-judge bench had, instead of passing an urgent protective direction, had directed the Centre to submit an affidavit on the next date of hearing, on 6 July.
Significantly, Justices Karia and Jain’s bench also said that the Indian Olympic Committee, after the 23 February order, had addressed a communication to the WKF, seeking to constitute an ad-hoc committee for selecting karate athletes. However, this was opposed by the WKF.
The court then pointed out that although the IOA had indeed made its “best efforts” to constitute such a committee, its setting up was opposed by the WKF, which said that athletes recognised by such an ad-hoc committee will neither be recognised nor permitted to participate in international events conducted under its aegis.
Finally, the court directed the Central government to resolve Mahara’s grievance in the present case, until a duly recognised NSF is constituted in India.
(Edited by Vidhi Bhutra)
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