NEW DELHI: The MC Mary Kom-Nikhat Zareen episode refuses to die down with the eight-time World Championship medallist now putting the ball in the Boxing Federation of India’s court with regards to holding a trial in the 51kg category prior to the Olympic qualifier.
On the sidelines of Saturday’s felicitation of India’s medal-winning boxers by Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju, Mary said: “The decision has been taken by BFI. I can’t change the rule. I can just perform. Whatever they decide, I will go with that. I’m not against her (Nikhat). She might be good in future. I have been fighting for 20 years. To challenge is easy but to perform is difficult.”
During another interview, when queried about Abhinav Bindra’s support towards Nikhat’s letter on Twitter, Mary hit out at the former shooter. “Bindra is an Olympic gold medallist but I too have multiple golds at World Championships. This is not his business, to involve in boxing, to interfere. I don’t talk about shooting, so it is better for him to stay quiet on boxing.
He doesn’t know the exact rules of boxing.”The selection committee, prior to the Worlds, had decided to exempt gold and silver medallists from the trials but upon their return, BFI president Ajay Singh stirred up a hornet’s nest by suggesting Mary be exempted as she clinched bronze.
This prompted Nikhat to write to the minister. “We have to understand one thing, government can’t dictate the federations or get involved in the process of selection. So I will advise the federation to be transparent and take a decision which is in the interest of the nation,” the minister had said.