Union sports ministry appeared highly embarrassed by the report that the world women boxing champion MC Merykom and other boxers — around 15 men pugilists — had received expired cheques from them last month.
NEW DELHI: A sports ministry with a high sense of shame would certainly be helpful in Indian sport. On Wednesday, the union sports ministry appeared highly embarrassed by the report that the world women boxing champion MC Merykom and other boxers — around 15 men pugilists — had received expired cheques from them last month.
Merykom, who won the world championship last year, was entitled to Rs 1.3 million in prize money from the sports ministry for her achievements.
But the Manipuri champ will now have to wait to become Indian women boxing’s first ‘million dollar baby’.
The sports ministry said on Wednesday that they are inquiring into the matter and though they were not defending the incident, it had occurred due to certain inherent problems that come up while disbursing the prize money to athletes whose homes are in the interiors.
“Well, it’s a completely avoidable situation, especially as these are athletes who have brought laurels to the country but we do face problems in locating the athletes on time, as they are often travelling or attending training camps in different centres.”
The official added, “It becomes difficult for us to handle these cheques — it’s not advisable to hand it over to their family members in the absence of the athlete. Waiting for the athlete or the federation (Indian Boxing Federation in this case) can cause these delays.
But this was an exception. Normally, there haven’t been many instances like this one.”
IABF congratulates Sunil Kumar
The Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) hailed the performance of Sunil Kumar, who won gold in the 50 kg category at the World Cadet Boxing Championship in Istanbul. “Abhay Singh, president IABF congratulates Sunil as well as coaches and other officials of the boxing federation who worked in right earnest during the past one year to culminate in this great performance at the World Cadet Championships,” IABF said in a release.
“The IABF will now concentrate on the World Junior Men’s Boxing Championships scheduled to be held at Monaco in September 2006, the world women’s boxing championships to be held in Delhi in November this year,” the release added. Sunil’s gold medal at the World Championships has come as a shot in the arm for the IABF as they were without a medal in the World Cadet Championships since 2002.
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