05/06/2025
Itanagar || 5 June 2025.
In a development that has drawn widespread criticism, India’s top weightlifter from Arunachal Pradesh, Sambo Lapung, has been denied the opportunity to participate in the Commonwealth Championship 2025 trials, despite holding an impeccable record at the national level. The decision by the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has triggered serious concerns over the transparency of the selection process and allegations of regional discrimination.
Lapung, who is widely known as the “Golden Boy” of Indian weightlifting, is a three-time national record holder and has consecutively won gold medals in the 2022 (Chandigarh), 2023 (Itanagar), and 2024 (Himachal Pradesh) Senior National Weightlifting Championships. He has consistently topped the 96kg weight category, outperforming all his competitors, including Harsh*t Sehrawat of Haryana, who has now been selected to represent India in the 94kg category at the Commonwealth trials.
The selection list released by the IWF did not include Lapung’s name. Instead, Sehrawat, who usually competes in the 102kg category, was selected based on his performance at the Inter India Railways Championships, where he lifted a total of 335kg and secured a silver medal. Critics, however, argue that Sambo had beaten Sehrawat multiple times in head-to-head competitions, including lifting 338kg to win gold at the 2023 Nationals in Itanagar, where Sehrawat settled for silver with 328kg.
At the 2024–25 Himachal Nationals, Lapung again clinched gold in the 96kg category with a total of 334kg, while Sehrawat, competing in the 102kg category, finished fourth with 327kg, earning a bronze medal. Weightlifting experts have questioned the logic behind choosing a heavier-category athlete over the reigning national champion who not only fits the weight category but also has a stronger competition record.
As per the source Notably, both the selected athlete Harsh*t Sehrawat and the current President of the Indian Weightlifting Federation, Shri Sahdev Yadav, are from Uttar Pradesh. This has raised serious concerns among observers who question whether regional bias may have influenced the decision—especially when the selected athlete has consistently placed below Lapung in national-level competitions.
Lapung formally appealed to the IWF to allow him to at least appear for the selection trial to be held on June 13–14, but his request was denied. Following this, the Arunachal Weightlifting Association submitted a written appeal on his behalf, which was also rejected. The federation reportedly replied that the two athlete slots for the 94kg category were already filled.
Reacting to the snub, Lapung said,
“𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭. 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘐’𝘮 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵.” 𝘈𝘯 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘓𝘢𝘱𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘈𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘩”.
Several coaches and observers have raised concerns about the criteria used by the IWF.
“Selecting an athlete who normally competes at 102kg for the 94kg category is questionable. Cutting that much weight could be dangerous. Sambo, who competes at 96kg, is the natural and fair choice,” one coach said.
The decision has sparked a broader conversation about the representation of Northeast Indian athletes in national sports. Arunachal Pradesh, despite producing such potential talents like Sambo Lapung, Kojum Taba, Jimjang Deru, and Soram Hi**er Tagru, continues to see its athletes being overlooked for major international events.
“This isn’t just about one athlete. It’s a pattern. Players from the Northeast, no matter how talented or accomplished, are repeatedly ignored when it comes to top-tier competitions like the Commonwealth Games or the Olympics,” said a former lifter.
There is growing public frustration over what many are calling a conspiracy of silence around the challenges faced by Northeast athletes. Questions are now being raised about the role of the Arunachal Pradesh government, with critics pointing out that the state leadership often only acknowledges athletes after they win medals, but does little to support them through unfair selections or career-building opportunities.
The IWF has so far stood by its decision. However, the public and regional sporting associations are urging for a review of the selection criteria and greater transparency in national-level sports administration.
As the controversy unfolds, Sambo Lapung’s case is rapidly becoming a symbol of a larger struggle for equal recognition, merit-based selection, and regional fairness in Indian sports.
