New Delhi: In a clear case of volte-face on Tuesday, the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) selected L. Monika Devi to represent the country in the Beijing Olympics.

According to IWF secretary BR Gulati, Monika was selected after the Asian championship silver medalist was put on a trial against dope-tainted Shailaja Pujari in Bangalore for the second time in less than two weeks.

Gulati said that the selection committee unanimously selected Monika. The lifter will compete in the 69kg category while Shailaja (75kg) would be the reserve lifter.

On June 29, IWF held the first trials in Pune and selected Pujari ahead of Monika on the basis of performance. The federation then had to arrange for the second trial after Gulati was accused of allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 5 lakhs for selecting Pujari.

The bribery allegation kicked off a row and invited strong criticism from the government, which said that Monika Devi, who won a total of three medals in the Asian meet, should be sent to the Olympics.

IWF sources said the federation was under immense pressure from the government and had no option but to toe the sports ministry line.

“There were so many irregularities in the first selection trials at Pune that IWF had to accept the government’s verdict,” sources said.

In another surprising move, the IWF also named Dev Dutt Sharma of the Army Sports Control Board as the coach for the Olympics. Given the fact that Sharma, a middle level lifer of his time, has only two years of experience, his elevation has raised a few eyebrows.

According to sources, Gulati told the selection committee that the Government had already approved Sharma’s name. The IWF has already taken a decision to discard senior coaches like GS Sandhu and Amarnath.

“Gulati has certainly misled the committee,” a senior official alleged. “It was only a ploy to include the new coach.”