New Delhi, October 17
Shooter Abhinav Bindra has backed boxer Nikhat Zareen’s demand for a trial bout against MC Mary Kom before India’s squad for next year’s Olympics qualifiers is decided.
Former junior world champion boxer Zareen, who had been refused a trial by the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) for the World Championships, has written to the Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju demanding a “fair chance” to make it to the team for the Olympics qualifiers to be held in February next year.
“While I have all the respect for Mary Kom, fact is, an athlete’s life is an offering of proof. Proof that we can be as good as yesterday. Better than yesterday. Better than tomorrow’s man/woman. In sport, yesterday never counts,” Bindra wrote on his Twitter handle. Incidentally, both Bindra and Zareen are associated with JSW group in different capacities. Mary Kom claimed her eighth world medal at the recently-concluded World Championships in Russia in the 51kg division. BFI plans to send the Manipuri boxer for the Olympics qualifiers in China, moving away from its previous decision to give direct selection only to the gold and silver winners in Russia. The BFI criteria for men made it possible for even the bronze winners to get direct selection.
Zareen had lost to Mary Kom at the semifinal of the India Open in May this year. — PTI
from The Tribune https://ift.tt/2psAzxw
via Today’s News Headlines
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