New Delhi: Tokyo Olympics bronze-winning boxer Lovlina Borgohain’s has accused Boxing Federation of India (BFI) official of humiliating behaviour. Borgohain who won the bronze medal at the 2020 Olympics said that the national federation’s executive director Col Arun Malik exhibited disrespectful and gender-discriminatory behaviour against the boxer.
A report published in news agency PTI on Thursday mentions that the incident is being investigated and a report would be submitted in the same regard. This has been confirmed by the Sports Authority of India (SAI). Lovlina has alleged that Malik humiliated her undermining her achievements during a Zoom meeting on July 8, which was attended by SAI and TOPS.
The formal complaint made by the boxer was addressed to the Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Sports Authority of India (SAI) Director General, the TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) division, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), and the Boxing Federation of India (BFI). As per the boxer, the official responded to her in an aggressive manner and also spoke in a demeaning manner.
He blatantly told me to shut up: Borgohain
‘He blatantly told me to ‘shut up, lower your head and do as we say.’ His words were not only disrespectful but also carried an alarming tone of gender-discriminatory and authoritarian dominance – something that no one, especially a woman who has brought honour to the nation, should be subjected to,” Lovlina stated in her complaint.
‘I was made to feel small, unheard, and powerless. It was not just a personal insult – it was an attack on every woman athlete who dreams of standing tall, both in and outside the ring,” Lovlina stated in her complaint.’
On the call, the Indian boxer made a request that her personal coach, who was also a part of the online meeting, be allowed in the national camp. This stands against the BFI policy.
(With PTI inputs)