Acting on the orders from the Sports Authority of India (SAI), the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) has suspended joint secretary Baljit Singh Sekhon following controversies over the mismanagement of athlete participation at the ongoing World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany.
Sekhon, who is currently in Germany as the head of the Indian delegation, was one of the key officials responsible for shortlisting personnel accompanying the Indian contingent for the Games, being held from 16 to 27 July.
In an order dated 22 July 2025, the AIU’s administrative panel constituted a four-member committee to investigate the criticism that has caused national embarrassment on the global stage.
The Indian badminton squad, which won bronze, was drawn into controversy when it was revealed that six of the twelve selected players were barred from participating due to officials failing to submit their names correctly during the managers’ meeting on 16 July.
In addition to the badminton fiasco, athletics also suffered, with certain athletes’ names removed from the start list at the last minute.
To compound the administrative failures, the AIU was fined €1,000 for violating jersey regulations in badminton.
The government is considering disbanding the AIU and School Games Federation of India (SGFI) over alleged irregularities in their functioning and administrative mismanagement, sources told Times of India on Tuesday.
