Selection Fiasco : Boxing Champ March Upto MS Gill Quarters To Return Arjuna Award
Union Sports Minister persuades Sarita to wait for 1 week
Source: The Sangai Express / Ninglun Hanghal

New Delhi, October 01 2010: As her one week ultimatum expired today, Indian Manipuri boxing icon L Sarita Devi went to meet Union Sports Minister MS Gill at his residence to return her Arjuna Award 2009 and the other related certificates and citations.

Sarita has been demanding a retrial for the selection of Indian women boxers for the Guangzhou Asian Games to be held in November this year.

Priot to the meeting with the Sports Minister, Sarita told media persons that even after a week of submitting her memorandum to the Union Minister for a free and fair retrial in the presence of the media, there has been no response.

Therefore, she has been compelled to meet the Minister to return the Arjuna Award conferred on her in 2009 .

(L) Sarita pours out her anguish before the media and (R) Sports Minister MS Gill

She said that there is no meaning in keeping the award as it has not earned her any respect or dignity.

The meeting between Sarita and the Sports Minister lasted for over 40 minutes.

Coming back from the meeting without returning the award, Sarita informed that the Union Minister has assured to look into the matter and requested her to wait for a week.

Later, Union Minister of Sports MS Gill spoke to the media, saying that selections are conducted by a committee and not by the Government.

The Minister said ,"The Federation has to be questioned" .

Further, the Sports Minister said that he will see that justice is done to Sarita.

As the Commonwealth Games is scheduled to start in a day, it will not be possible to settle Sarita's case in the next 2/ 3 days.

The Arjuna Award was awarded to Sarita for her outstanding and consistent performance in international boxing meets, culminating in the Silver medal she won at the Women's World Boixing Championship in the 51 Kg weight category in 2008 .

MC Mary Kom had won the Gold for the fourth consecutive time at the same meet and the Central Government acknowledged her contributions to the sports by naming her for the Khel Ratna, the highest sports award in the country this year.

The genesis of the present stand off can be traced to August this year when the trial selection for the Women's Boxing Squad for the Guangzhou Asian Games was held at Bhopal on August 21-22 .

Since the Asian Games did not have boxing in the weight category of Mary Kom (48 Kg), she put on some weight and attended the selection trial camp in the 51 Kg weight category.

The Indian Boxing Federation had then ruled that Sarita would represent India at the Asian Games in the 51 Kg weight category, but for reasons which have been merely spelt out as "indecisive" in reference to the initial announcement, a second trial selection was held on September 22, after Mary won her fifth consecutive world championship title.

This time, the Judges ruled in Mary Kom's favour and that is when things took a turn for the worse.

Not taking things lying down meekly, L Sarita raised allegations of corruption and favouritism within the IBF and demanded a retrial in the presence of the media, giving a seven day ultimatum or else, she would be constrained to return the Arjuna Award conferred on her in 2009 .