New Delhi: Asian Games discus throw gold medalist Seema Punia, who on sunday qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics tore into sports ministry for its apathetic attitude towards players.
“I am frustrated and disgusted by the way sports ministry officials treat players,” Punia told Hindustan Times
Slamming the ministry for creating unnecessary bureacratic hurdle, Seema said, “I asked the ministry for help in mid-2015. Had the ministry released the funds then, I would have qualified last year itself.”
The Sports Ministry had approved financial assistance to Seema for training and other support as part of preparation for Rio Games. She has been allocated a budget of Rs 75.00 lacs under the scheme.
Describing her ordeal, Seema said,every time she tried approaching the authorities for funds – her documents were incomplete and more paperwork would be needed.
The sports ministry deposited Rs 19 lakh in Punia’s account in January. She had to send four more reminders before it released another Rs 13 lakh to pay the foreign coach she was to train with in the United States.
“Finally, it was SAI project officer Dilip Singh who helped me get the funds, and I am really thankful to him.”
The 32-year-old Seema crossed the Rio Games qualification standard of 61.00m at the Hartnell College Throwers Complex with her season best effort of 62.62m.
She won the gold in the event and in the process pipped 2008 Olympic discus throw champion Stephanie Brown-Trafton of United States.
This will be Seema’s third Olympic Games appearance, having taken part in 2004 and 2012 where she failed to get past the qualification round — on both the occasions. She is the 19th Indian track and field athlete to have qualified for Rio Olympics.
Seema, now training in the United States with funds provided by the Sports Ministry under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme, had won a gold in the 2014 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China with a throw of 61.03m.
She had also won a silver in the 2014 Glasgow CWG Commonwealth Games with an effort of 61.61m.
