Reported by Chinmaya Dehury
Bhubaneswar, July 16:

Odisha sprinter Dutee Chand. in the eye of a storm over her gender, has cried foul over the last minute exclusion of her name from the list of athletes selected to participate in the Common Wealth Games (CWG) in Glasgow.

Dutee Chand Dutee Chand

“I have no knowledge of any gender test; nobody has informed me about any such test. I only underwent a blood sample test in Bangalore, which is mandatory before any major game. If there is such a report, then I will undergo treatment to cure myself. However, I feel it could a conspiracy to prevent me from participating in the Commonwealth Games since I have been performing well in international games and winning medals for the country,” Chand told a local television channel over phone from Bangalore.

She urged the state government and the Government of India to provide her full cooperation and support to overcome the mess.

Her athlete sister Saraswati Chand too alleged that the gender controversy raked up on the eve of a major international event could be a design by vested interests to oust her from the CWG.

The Odisha Athletic Association said it had no knowledge about the gender test on Dutee.

Dutee's parents are weavers and don't earn enough to support a family of eight. Infact it was her elder sister Saraswati, who turned out to be the family's bread winner when she got a job as a police constable a few years back.

Dutee is being sent off from the national camp she was attending in Bangalore and is expected back in the state soon.

Her last minute exclusion from the list of Glasgow bound Indian CWG contingent has been widely attributed to a desire by Indian sports authorities to avoid embarrassment in Glasgow.