CHENNAI: A former Asian junior champion and now a member of the Indian team for the South Asian Games, 23-year old Ravi Dixit’s dalliance with social media has unwittingly caused him great embarrassment, as some of his statements that had potential to stir up a debate found their way into a newspaper on Tuesday.
Dixit’s purported statement that “he was prepared to sell his kidney” while touching on his sports funding from various sources was particularly blown out of proportion in the media to suggest that he was in despair. On the contrary, he was satisfied with the way his career has taken though he would have been happier had he been doing well and played in more international tournaments.
The Dhampur lad knew this was a passing phase but in a spur of the moment decided to share it in the social media and that proved his undoing. “I did not realize there is so much to be read into this until I received a call from a reporter,” he said.
Dixit quickly removed the posting that did the damage but vehemently denied that he had reached such moments of hopelessness to “sell his kidney.”
In his letter to the President of the Squash Rackets Federation of India, the player has sought to clarify his stand, stating “the statement made on social media should not have been done. I am sorry to my family members and all the governing bodies who have supported me namely The Government of India (the Ministry of Youth affairs and sports; Tamil Nadu Government and Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu; SRFI; Indian Squash Academy and Dhampur Sugar Mills.”
Dixit has also made it clear that he was keen to pursue the sport. “Squash is my life and I wish to continue playing it,” he added in his letter.
Meanwhile Debendranath Sarangi, the President of SRFI, has in a statement clarified that Dixit has been with the Indian Squash Academy for nine years now and has been staying and training there.
The ISA and SRFI provide him financial assistance for participation in national/ intenational tournament, in addition to the funding from Ministry of sports and Dhampur Sugar Mills. He has also gone abroad for training. He has been selected to the Indian team for the forthcoming South Asian Games.
