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Indian dressage rider Anush Agarwalla has expressed his disappointment over missing out on the Asian Games, saying he feels “deeply hurt” at not getting an opportunity to compete in the continental showpiece.

In an emotional post on Instagram, Agarwalla said the dream of competing at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games was officially over and expressed his frustration with the process that led to his exclusion.

“The dream of Asian Games 2026 is officially over,” he wrote in a post.

“Words cannot explain the pain and emptiness I feel right now. I have always represented India with immense pride, and always will. But this time, I am deeply hurt – not because I lost, but because I was never given the chance to compete.”

Agarwalla, who was part of India’s gold-winning dressage team at the Hangzhou Asian Games and won an individual bronze, was initially named as a reserve for the 2026 Games.

His exclusion had earlier led to a selection dispute, with Agarwalla challenging the process and questioning the interpretation of the selection criteria. The Delhi High Court, however, declined to interfere with the selection process, holding that it was in accordance with the prescribed criteria.

Describing the selection as an “unfair process”, Agarwalla said: “I can accept defeat on the field. That is sport. You fight, you win, you lose, and you come back stronger. But this feels less like defeat and more like betrayal.”

“Accepting an outcome doesn’t mean I have to believe the process was right. I fought until the very last moment, and I am proud of that. A fight for a medal is any day a better fight. A fight against the system may never yield a medal, but at least it leaves a record of who stood in the way between me, Floriana, my horse, and the medal we worked for.”

Agarwalla said he had reached out to the Equestrian Federation of India, the Indian Olympic Association and the Sports Ministry but felt there had been no effort to review the matter.

“I only hope no athlete has to go through this again. If India wants to become a true sporting nation, athletes deserve a system that is fair, transparent and respects the years of work behind every opportunity.”

The rider said he would take a break from training for the first time since moving to Germany 10 years ago, but insisted that his competitive journey was far from over.

“For the first time since moving to Germany ten years ago, I will take a break from training. I need it. But I will return, and the Olympics will be the next goal. The Indian flag will always be worth fighting for.

“To my coach, my family and everyone who stood by me – thank you. You carried me through one of the hardest moments of my life. And Floriana, thank you. You did everything you could. I am sorry we couldn’t share that stage. You deserved to be there. I truly believe our bigger moments are still ahead. This hurts. But I am not done. On to the next goal.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Read Desk. It is published from a syndicated feed)