New Delhi: Days ahead of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games’ opening, Tokyo Olympics bronze winning boxer Lovlina Borgohain on Monday said she was facing “mental harassment” over removal of her coaches from the CWG contingent.
Tokyo Olympics bronze medal-winning boxer Lovlina Borgohain on Monday took to Twitter to post a long message in which she claimed that she has faced “mental harassment” due to the constant removal of her coaches, who helped her win an Olympic medal, from her training process and were later allowed entry after several requests. She also claimed that her coach Sandhya Gurung has currently not been allowed entry into the Commonwealth Games Village.
“Today with a lot of grief, I want to tell everyone about the continuous harassment going on with me. The coaches who helped me win an Olympic medal are always being side-lined which has severely impacted my training schedule,” Lovlina wrote in her twitter post.
“One of the coaches is Sandhya Gurungji, who is a Dronacharya awardee. I had to plead with folded hands to get my coaches included in the contingent. I am feeling mentally harassed because of this ordeal,” she posted. “Right now, my coach Sandhya Gurung is standing outside the CWG village and not being allowed to enter. Just eight days before the start of my event, my training schedule has been hampered. My other coach has been sent back to India,” she said.
— Lovlina Borgohain (@LovlinaBorgohai) July 25, 2022
Lovlina alleged that she endured similar treatment before the World Championship in Istanbul and she fears that something similar will happen at the upcoming Birmingham Games.
“I don’t understand how will I focus on the Games (CWG) amidst all this? My world championships also suffered because of this. I don’t want my CWG to be affected due to politics. Hoping I will overcome this politics and win a medal for my country. Jai Hind,” she wrote.
The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) has now released a statement after the shocking claims by Lovlina. In a tweet that has taken the internet by storm since Monday, Borgohain revealed how her coach Sandhya Gurung was denied entry into the Commonwealth Games village, which in turn was messing up with her preparations for the multi-sport event.
In a statement, the BFI clarified that according to the rules, only 33% of the playing contingent are allowed as support staff.
The BFI further revealed that because of their efforts, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) had increased their quota of support staff from 4 to 8.
They further added that the BFI was working in tandem with the IOA to ensure that Lovlina’s coach Sandhya could join her in the Commonwealth Games village.
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