Injured boxer Manoj Kumar fires back at Sports Authority of India for misleading claims

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A week ago Arjuna awardee Manoj Kumar who won a Gold medal at the Commonwealth Games back in 2010 accused Sports Authority of India of not providing financial help after suffering from an injury at the Asian Games which took place in Jakarta last year.

To which SAI said that they had assisted Manoj Kumar financially and also accuses him of hiding injuries and after a dip in his performance inside the ring, he was dropped from TOPS(Target Olympic Podium Scheme) and they couldn’t support the boxer financially.

But Manoj’s coach Rajesh Kumar Rajound has fired back at SAI and accused them of providing misleading claims to the media. The accusation was mainly targeted towards project officer P.C Makholiya.

According to Mr Rajesh Rajound, the initial evaluation of Manoj’s injury it was revealed that ₹5,30,400 was needed for the treatment, but only ₹60,000 was provided and the treatment was supposed to take place at the Kokilaben Hospital which is the most expensive hospital in the country and the funds provided by SAI were insufficient.

As per the Target Olympic Podium Scheme, Manoj was entitled to a total of ₹30 Lakhs and SAI claimed to have spent ₹24.8 Lakhs so far and since Manoj incurred the injury during Asian Games when he was still a part of the TOPS scheme, he should have been treated under the scheme.

Rajesh also pointed out that no money is directly handed over to the boxer and only small amount are dispersed under very specific heads. He also called out SAI of sneaking in unwanted official which increases the cost of travel and lodging during international events.

He gave an example of the Rio Olympics where SAI added a performance analyst and masseur to the team which Manoj didn’t ask for and only demanded the presence of his coach.

Rajesh Kumar also accused SAI of contradicting their own statement when the Sports Authority said that they had never got any proposal from Manoj Kumar when SAI had earlier admitted that they paid ₹60,000 towards Manoj’s treatment. He also said that instead of providing Manoj with financial assistance for his injury, SAI used it as an excuse to drop him out of the TOPS scheme, so they do not have to pay ₹5,30,400 towards his treatment.

He also said that the reports of Manoj Kumar hiding his injuries is untrue and he had no reason to do so as Tokyo Olympics would have been his last shot at an Olympic medal in his boxing career which spanned 20 years.

He said that SAI is yet to make the names of the boxer who made it to the TOPS scheme public since Asian Games. He also raised a question on SAI’s performance review of Manoj Kumar as no major tournament had taken place since then. He also detailed that Manoj Kumar ended 2017 with a National championship Gold and title of the best boxer followed by a Bronze Medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games which took place in Gold Coast Australia.

He said that Manoj Kumar is a victim of petty politics and there was a deliberate ploy to play with the Boxer’s career. He also hinted at P.C Makholiya was the same official who sent the wrong reports to the Arjuna Award committee and only after the intervention of the High Court was the prestigious award bestowed on Manoj Kumar. He also accused Mr Makholiya of trying to keep Manoj out of the TOPS scheme till the very last minute of the Rio Olympics, but Manoj managed to get into the scheme after he clinched the Olympic qualifier.

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Boxer Manoj Kumar accuses Sports Authority of India for not providing financial help after injury