Syque Caesar, not Ashish Kumar

I’m fed up with India and their endless Federation problems.

Here’s the latest from the Indian scandal press:

Administrative wrangling and a lax attitude have cost India’s best gymnast Ashish Kumar a chance to represent the country at the London Olympics.

And to rub salt into the wounds, a much inferior gymnast has got a wild card to compete at the biggest sporting extravaganza on earth.

Ashish missed the qualification mark at the 2011 World Championship in Tokyo by less than one per cent, but the Indian authorities could have pushed for a wild card.

… the wild card has gone to Syque Caesar of Bangladesh. He won a gold medal at the Central South Asian Artistic Gymnastic Championships last year, but was nowhere in Ashish’s league when they competed in Tokyo. …

Federation gaffe costs Ashish his London Olympics berth

Let me go on the record as supporting the choice of Syque Caesar. Bangladesh needs the boost of the Olympic experience more. And Syque’s a great gymnast, very experienced in the NCAA. I’ll be cheering.

… Caesar was born in Florida …

But the college student is delighted to represent his family’s homeland.

“My dad always wanted me to represent Bangladesh,” added Caesar, whose father adopted the uncommon Bengali surname as a result of being the first child in the country born via Caesarian section.

… “I just want to go out there and hit my routines. As long as I do my best then I’ll be very happy, regardless of where I’m placed.”

BBC – London 2012: Syque Caesar aims to bring Bangladesh glory