Sachin Tendulkar has urged India to back banned boxer Sarita Devi. After meeting sports minister Sarbananda Sonowal in New Delhi on Wednesday, the cricket legend said the country should back Sarita in her quest to overturn a ban from the Amateur International Boxing Association. Sarita was banned for refusing to accept her medal during the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.
“As a fellow sportsperson, I can relate to the emotional turmoil which Ms. Devi must have undergone leading to the unfortunate outburst. Subsequently, she has regretted and deserves another chance to continue her pursuits. As you may be aware, she has already apologised for her unsportsmanlike behaviour. As a country, we should make every effort to ensure that Ms. Devi is pardoned and allowed to pursue her boxing skills at the highest level. Tendulkar requested Sonowal to consider forming a task force of senior officials from the Indian Olympic Association and the Boxing Federation and defend her case in front of the governing body, AIBA. With limited knowledge on the ongoing process, I would sincerely request to consider forming a task force of senior officials from the Indian Olympic Association, the Indian Boxing Federation backed with strong legal minds under your stewardship. The objective of this task force should be to deter any potential move by the Governing body to cause irreversible harm to Ms. Devi’s career by placing compelling arguments in her defence. This is critical as Ms. Devi belongs to a set of passionate sportspersons who have taken immense pride in representing the country and deserve all the support and backing from various stakeholders including Government of India,” he wrote.
