In a writ petition filed before the Delhi High Court seeking quashing to a limited extent of minutes dated 24-08-26 and Resolution dated 27-08-26 as they constituted a retrospective change in the rules of the game after the game was played, by shortening the eight-month qualifying/selection window of 08-11-25 till 25-07-26 and replacing it with a new two-month window of 08-05-26 till 25-07-26, thereby excluding seven of the petitioner’s eight valid
qualifying scores obtained before 08-05-26 from Youth Olympic Games, Dakar, Senegal, 2026 selection, a Single Judge Bench of Dr. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma rejected the petitioner’s challenge and disposed of the petition.
The petitioner, a 16-year-old international show-jumping athlete, sought selection to represent India at the Youth Olympic Games, Dakar, Senegal, 2026 (YOG 2026). The Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI) had prescribed minimum eligibility requirements for YOG 2026 participation, including the requirement of a Certificate of Capability (COC). She challenged Selection Decision-II dated 27-08-2026, by which the Ad-Hoc Committee for Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) retained respondent 5 at rank 1, downgraded the petitioner to rank 3, and upgraded respondent 6 to rank 2, alleging that this decision retrospectively introduced 08-05-2026 as the opening date of the selection window, replacing an established eight-month window from 08-11-2025 to 25-07-2026, and thereby excluding seven of her eight valid qualifying scores.
The petitioner contended that neither the Selection Criteria communicated on 28-12-2025 nor the identical criteria uploaded on 08-05-2026 prescribed 08-05-2026 as the commencement date, and that if all scores from 08-11-2025 onward were counted, she would have ten qualifying scores against five for respondent 5 and four for respondent 6, placing her first in merit.
The respondents argued that no eight-month window had ever been prescribed, that 08-11-2025 was merely the date of the FEI Jumping World Challenge at Bengaluru, and that the Selection Criteria uploaded on 08-05-2026, as per Clause 3.2 of Article 15 of the EFI Statute, required assessment of “recency of results” up to 25-07-2026, a methodology applied uniformly in both Selection Decision-I and Selection Decision-II. During the pendency of the petition, the petitioner’s counsel brought to light a signed record showing that the Selection Committee had unanimously selected the petitioner on 13-05-2026, and that the then Chairman was willing to affirm these minutes on affidavit.
Regarding the selection window and consideration of earlier performances, the Court found it undisputed that the selection criteria was uploaded on EFI’s website for the first time on 08-05-2026 and that there was no material to establish that 08-11-2025 was ever adopted as the commencement date of the selection window, noting that this date merely corresponded to the FEI Jumping World Challenge at Bengaluru. The Court found it significant that none of the other participating athletes had challenged the commencement of the window. It was stated that the mere fact that qualifying performances were obtained from that date cannot, by itself, lead to the conclusion that the YOG 2026 selection window commenced from 08-11-2025.
Further, it was said that the mere forwarding of the competition results by the petitioner’s father to EFI through emails, could not, by itself, amount to an assurance by EFI that every
such result would be considered for the YOG 2026 selection. The Court also found that Selection Decision-I had already confined recent results to the period 08-05-2026 to 25-07-2026, meaning that Selection Decision-II did not retrospectively alter any previously applied rule. The Court also noted that the petitioner’s earlier representation and writ petition had concerned only her result dated 02-05-2026, not an eight-month window claim. Accordingly, the Court rejected the petitioner’s contention that Selection Decision-II retrospectively shortened an established selection window.
Regarding the effects of the minutes of the selection committee dated 13-05-2026 on the subsequent selection process, the Court noted the FEI Regulations for the Youth Olympic Games, 2026, under Article 8, prescribed 31-12-2025 as the eligibility deadline for National Federations, 20-05-2026 as the COC submission deadline, and 25-09-2026 as the final entry deadline. While acknowledging that the said minutes genuinely recorded selection of the petitioner at that stage, the Court found that only two riders had expressed interest at that time and that the remaining eligible riders had not been part of that comparative exercise.
The Court stated that subsequent developments, particularly the communication dated 10-06-2026 to all seven eligible COC holders regarding a fresh merit-based assessment with a cut-off of 25-07-2026, meant that the position after 10-06-2026 was that all seven riders were being considered afresh. Further, the Court took into account the imminent final entry deadline of 25-09-2026 for YOG 2026, noting that remitting the matter for a fresh exercise would be neither possible nor appropriate. It was also said that petitioner had not claimed that she ought to be declared selected merely on the basis of the said minutes, but had relied on them only to demonstrate that earlier results had been considered at that stage.
Taking note of the manner in which the selection process unfolded in the present case, the Court observed, for consideration of the Equestrian Federation of India, with a view to bring greater clarity and uniformity in future selection processes and avoiding any uncertainty amongst eligible athletes. The Court suggested that EFI prescribe, in clear terms, the selection window and relevant timelines for each stage of the process, and that selection criteria be made as specific and transparent as reasonably possible regarding the manner in which factors such as recent performance, consistency, and level of competition would be assessed.
Thus, the petition was disposed of.
