Top gymnast Aruna Budda Reddy alleges she was videographed without consent during fitness test

Gymnastics body head says he didn't order videography; gymnast threatens legal actionNEW DELHI: Aruna Budda Reddy, the first Indian gymnast to clinch an individual medal at the Gymnastics World Cup, alleged on Thursday that she was videographed without her consent by one of the Sports Authority of India's (SAI) coaches during the process of her physical fitness test at the IGI stadium here in the month of March this year. Aruna, who had won a bronze in the women's vault at the Melbourne Worlds in 2018, has warned of initiating legal action against the coach after the Gymnastics Federation of India (GFI) informed her that it hadn't authorised or ordered any person to video record her fitness evaluation test. The incident dates back to March 24, 2022 when Aruna - accompanied by her coach Manoj Rana - had come to Delhi for a test ahead of the Baku World Cup, as directed by the GFI. The federation had formed a six-member committee for the purpose, which included women's artistic gymnastics' (WAG) technical committee chairman and Rio Olympian Dipa Karmakar's coach, Bisheshwar Nandi, SAI coaches Rohit Jaiswal and Ashok Mishra, doctor Manoj Patil and a male and female physio who were attached to the gymnastics national camp at the IGI. According to Aruna, her entire clinical or manual assessment test conducted on her injured knee by Patil was filmed by "one of the trainees of Jaiswal" on the coach's personal mobile phone without obtaining her consent. The assessment lasted for around 10 minutes.

The GFI should look into the allegations made by the sportsperson. If true, the incident is an invasion of privacy and a violation of due process. The errant official should then face disciplinary action.

TOI is withholding