Having been dumped by the Sports Ministry as the weightlifting coach for Beijing Olympics, a disappointed Deodutt Sharma oon Thursday said it was a "conspiracy" against him.
NEW DELHI: Having been dumped by the Sports Ministry as the weightlifting coach for Beijing Olympics, a disappointed Deodutt Sharma oon Thursday said it was a "conspiracy" against him.
Sharma, the Indian Weightlifting Federation's (IWF) choice, is unlikely to travel to Beijing after a Ministry directive to select Anita Chanu instead of him though he said he has not received an official communication in this regard.
"I'm a victim of politics. There's a section of people who are jealous of my success. This is a conspiracy against me -- it's called politics," said Sharma, who is now at the national camp in SAI, Bangalore.
Sharma got a "shock" in the morning, when a reporter from New Delhi called him up to ask whether he's still the coach of Beijing-bound L. Monika Devi.
"Immediately, I tried to find out whether there has been a recent development... However, as of now, there has been no written communication for the IOA or the Sports Ministry. So, I'm not sure," Sharma said on Thursday.
There was a huge cry by former internationals, including Olympians and Arjuna Awardees, after the "dope-tainted" Sharma, was named coach on July 15 after selection trial in Bangalore.
Demanding the ouster of the "junior, inexperienced" Sharma, IWF selection committee member Tamil Selvan had resigned from his post.
Top Ministry sources said Chanu will accompany Monika in Beijing. Her name has been cleared as the Ministry wanted a woman coach to accompany a woman lifter.
Sharma, however, did not want to blame anybody. "Most of the senior coaches are against me, saying that I'm junior and have very little experience at the highest level..."
"(Anita) Chanu completed her NIS only last year (May 2007). As for her coaching background, she was never with the seniors. Her only recent experience was the coaching assignment with the junior lifters. But, being a former international lifter, Chanu might have had the edge," said Sharma, an NIS passout in 2006.
Sharma further argued, "I was there with the seniors for last seven months. In fact, I was the coach when India got the Olympic berth at the Asian Championships in Japan. I was with Monika but that time there was no opposition ... Now, when I'm made the coach for Olympics everybody is protesting."
A havaldar with the Army, Sharma promises that he'll fight back and establish himself in the coaching circuit by means of hard work.
"I believe in work. I've 36 lifters under me ... I will prepare them for upcoming competition."
The 34-year-old, Sharma, was with the BEG Centre, Roorkee before joining the Army Sports Institute, Pune.
After passing out from NIS, Sharma's first exposure was the Bangalore camp for the Asian Junior Championship in Jordan in October 2007.
"We returned with a rich medal haul from the Jordan championship. The boys bagged five gold, six silver and three bronze while the girls claimed 11 gold medals," Sharma said.
Sharma then was named coach for the seniors camp in Patiala in January this year before accompanying the six-member India squad at the Asian Championship where Monika Devi made the Beijing cut.
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