Asian Games Selection Row Escalates As Anush Agarwalla Calls EFI Allegations 'Misleading', Seeks Transparency
Asian Games Selection Row Escalates As Anush Agarwalla Calls EFI Allegations 'Misleading', Seeks Transparency Published By, Last Updated: June 19, 2026, 15:47 IST Olympian Anush
Asian Games Selection Row Escalates As Anush Agarwalla Calls EFI Allegations 'Misleading', Seeks Transparency Published By, Last Updated: June 19, 2026, 15:47 IST Olympian Anush Agarwalla and EFI ad hoc panel clash over Asian Games dressage selection, with Agarwalla alleging lack of transparency and EFI denying his claims Anush Agarwalla has rejected claims he made false or misleading statements. (PTI Photo) Olympian dressage rider Anush Agarwalla and the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) ad-hoc panel have entered into a fresh exchange over the selection process for the upcoming Asian Games, with the panel alleging that he made “inaccurate" and “misleading" claims, while the rider has demanded evidence to substantiate those claims. The exchange unfolded through a series of emails on Thursday, a day after Agarwalla requested details of the process that resulted in the selection of India’s dressage team for the continental event. In a communication issued by EFI Assistant Secretary Nafe Singh Kadian, the federation stated that several remarks made by Agarwalla regarding a meeting held on June 18 were “inaccurate, misleading and are denied and disputed". The ad-hoc panel said Agarwalla was granted a personal meeting with selection committee member Col. Sandeep Dewan, even though no such hearing was provided for under the selection criteria. The federation further stated that the rider was heard at length in the presence of Kadian and was invited to submit all supporting material and representations in support of his claims.
According to EFI, all submissions made by Agarwalla – including an email dated June 17 and a document titled “Summary of Asian Games 2026 Qualifications" shared on June 14 – were reviewed before the order of merit and the final team were determined. “The Order of Merit and selection of the final team have been determined strictly in accordance with the applicable Dressage Selection Criteria Version 4.0 and the subsequent prevailing amendments," the EFI panel said, adding that no grounds were found to review or modify the recommendations made on June 15. In his response later on Thursday, Agarwalla rejected the EFI’s allegation that he had made false or misleading statements and asked the federation to identify the specific parts of his communication it considered inaccurate. “Such allegations are wholly unfounded and appear to be an attempt to deflect attention from the substantive issues repeatedly raised by me and consistently left unanswered," Agarwalla wrote. The rider also questioned EFI’s description of the June 18 meeting, stating that it omitted the presence of Naomi Julia Dewan, daughter of Sandeep Dewan, a member of the EFI Dressage selection committee. He sought clarification on the capacity in which she attended the meeting and why her presence was not disclosed in EFI’s response. “Why her presence was considered necessary in what was ostensibly a personal hearing," he wrote. Agarwalla further maintained that despite travelling from Germany for the meeting, he was not provided details on the calculations used to prepare the order of merit, the methodology behind the team selection, the identity of the authority that took the final decision, or the reasons for his exclusion from the squad.
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