Boxer Sarita Devi Claims Her Olympics Qualifiers Trials Bout Was Fixed | Earth Indian

Boxer Sarita Devi, who lost to Simranjit Kaur in the Olympic Qualifiers trials, has alleged that the match was fixed and that certain members of the Boxing Federation of India had ganged up against her.

“I am telling your good office that right in front of your own eyes, unfair trial selection happened in my 60kg weight category against Simranjit. I played much better,” Sarita wrote to Ajay Singh, president of BFI.

In the final bout of the 60kg category, Sarita lost to Simranjit in a split 2-8 decision. According to Sarita, an Arjuna awardee, BFI Executive Director RK. Sacheti, Foreign coach Raffael and Chhote Lal Yadav had sided against her.

“I’m telling you again, it was a fixed bout. Premediated bout. I’m telling more clearly that our BFI Executive Director RK Sacheti, Foreign coach Raffael and Chhote Lal Yadav are the people who have always ganged up against me and they are the ones who have fixed the bout today,” the letter read.

“I have been bearing all these injustices for a long time but the time has come for me to speak up of injustices being done to me and others.”

Sarita is a national champion and a former world champion in the lightweight category. She has three World Boxing Championships medals – a gold in 2006 and a bronze each in 2005 and 2008. Tokyo Games 2020 is expected to be her last ditch effort to win an elusive medal.

Sarita has won five Asian Championships gold and a bronze and a silver in the Asian Games (2014 Incheon) and Commonwealth Games (2014 Glasgow) respectively. But an Olympic medal has remained elusive for the lightweight (60kg category) boxer from Manipur and she is desperate to win it in Tokyo before drawing curtains on her career.

By Shivam Urkude || Earth Indian