Boxer Lovlina Borgohain's coach Sandhya Gurung has received accreditation for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, according to sources, a day after the boxer's "mental harassment" charge. Tokyo Olympics bronze medal-winning boxer Borgohain on Monday took to Twitter, claiming that she has faced "mental harassment" due to the constant removal of her coaches, who helped her win an Olympic medal, from her training process and were later allowed entry after several requests. She also claimed that her coach Sandhya Gurung had not been allowed entry into the Commonwealth Games Village.
"Today with a lot of grief, I want to tell everyone about the continuous harassment going on with me. The coaches who helped me win an Olympic medal are always being side-lined which has severely impacted my training schedule," Lovlina wrote in her twitter post.
"One of the coaches is Sandhya Gurungji, who is a Dronacharya awardee. I had to plead with folded hands to get my coaches included in the contingent. I am feeling mentally harassed because of this ordeal," she posted. "Right now, my coach Sandhya Gurung is standing outside the CWG village and not being allowed to enter. Just eight days before the start of my event, my training schedule has been hampered. My other coach has been sent back to India," she said.
The Indian boxing squad reached the Games Village in Birmingham on Sunday night after a training stint in Ireland but Lovlina's personal coach Sandhya Gurung could not enter the Village since she does not have accreditation.
The Sports Ministry swung into action after Lovlina's twitter post and asked the Indian Olympic Association to immediately arrange for Sandhya Gurung's accreditation so that she could enter the Games Village and be with Lovlina.
Lovlina alleged that she endured similar treatment before the World Championship in Istanbul and she fears that something similar will happen at the upcoming Birmingham Games.
"I don't understand how will I focus on the Games (CWG) amidst all this? My world championships also suffered because of this. I don't want my CWG to be affected due to politics. Hoping I will overcome this politics and win a medal for my country. Jai Hind," she wrote.
Lovlina had become only the third Indian boxer after Vijender Singh (2008) and MC Mary Kom (2012) to win an Olympic medal after she clinched a bronze in the Tokyo Games.