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The Department of Sports, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India, has urged the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to immediately arrange accreditation for Lovlina Borgohain's coach. On Monday, the athlete pressed charges of harassment ahead of the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
Lovlina's coach Sandhya Gurung wasn't allowed in the Commonwealth Games village as she was not a part of the accredited Indian support staff contingent. The Indian boxing coach arrived at CWG Village only to not be allowed inside.
In a social media response to Lovlina Borgaohain's tweet on being mentally harassed, the Department of Sports, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India urged the IOA to immediately look into the matter.
Lovlina Borgohain alleges mental harassment
In a lengthy post on Twitter, Lovlina said she was constantly getting harassed due to the removal of her coaches who have helped her win an Olympic medal.
The Assam-born athlete added that these adverse situations have stalled her training ahead of the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, scheduled to commence on July 28.
She added that despite several requests, her second coach has also been denied entry into the CWG Village and sent back to India.
“It is with great sadness that I am informing that I have been experiencing a lot of harassment due to the removal of my coaches. Every time my coaches who helped me win a medal at the Olympics have been removed from my training process and competitions. My training is constantly getting interrupted. One of the coaches is Sandhya Gurungji, a Dronacharya awardee," she wrote on Twitter.
Lovlina hopes that the politics played out off the field will not hamper her on-field heroics and hopes to come out of it and win a Commonwealth Games medal for India.
Boxing Federation of India issues clarification
Meanwhile, the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) has issued a clarification on Lovlina Borgohain's issue.
The BFI, in a media statement, said only 33% of the playing contingent is allowed as support staff, which in BFI’s case for the 12 boxers (eight men and four women) stands to be four support staff, (including coaches) who were to travel with the team to Birmingham.
"The requirements of boxing with respect to coaches and support staff are a little different as there are multiple bouts, which could be one after another. The IOA understood BFI’s point of view and therefore, extended help with the maximum possible additional support staff. With IOA’s help the number of support staff went up from 4 to 8 for the entire contingent of 12 boxers," the statement said.
The statement added that BFI is working closely with IOA to help Sandhya Gurung gain access to CWG Village.
"The Boxing Federation of India ensured that Sandhya Gurung was at the training camp in Ireland. BFI is working closely with IOA so that Sandhya Gurung could be a part of the team in Birmingham. In the meanwhile, delegate transport and accommodation at ETO’s hotel has been already provided to her," the statement added.
Indian boxing contingent for CWG 2022
The following pugilists, along with Lovlina Borgohain, will be representing India at CWG 2022 in Birmingham.
Men: Amit Panghal (51 kg), Mohammad Hussamuddin (57 kg), Shiva Thapa (63.5 kg), Rohit Tokas (67 kg), Sumit Kundu (75 kg), Ashish Chaudhary (80 kg), Sanjeet (92 kg), Sagar (92+ kg)
Women: Nitu (48 kg), Nikhat Zareen (50 kg), Jaismine (60 kg), Lovlina Borgohain (70 kg)
