This Vijender Singh episode has just come at a wrong time. Like the entire country was fed up with the Federation and were feeling bad for the 'talented' boxers, Vijender's name being mentioned in this drug bust case has just made things worse than ever.
While the fans have taken the toll of unruly fiefdom in almost all sporting federations in the country, athletes were their only saving grace and with boxing, the fans and sports lovers can't even have faith in them anymore. While the investigations are getting murkier and doling out new names every second day, Vijender's reluctance for giving tests and coming out clean chit has really not helped his case and the counted-on-fingers boxing fans.
Thanks to my journalism stint and of course my adventure in boxing beyond my journalistic journey, I still am in good terms with a lot of who's who of boxing. And trust me the information, 'off the record' I have got from them isn't too encouraging. It may be the officials or the boxers. None have come out in defence of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awardee Vijender.
Now one may say that all of them have been jealous of Vijender's status and fame, but some of them are beyond that. Some boxers, who don't even aspire to be like Vijender, have said that finally this has come out in open. "He is like a Don in the camp. His clout is really strong and his word is 'patthar ki lakeer'. Being an employee of Indian Police, I was approached by similar people to help them in their activities."
The athlete in question here isn't someone who wants publicity and hasn't been in the national reckoning ever. He knew I wasn't speaking to him as a journalist, nor I was going to write a piece in the newspaper. So he knew it was safe to speak to me. Another boxer, a national level champ and also represented India at various events said that it isn't easy to handle fame and Vijender is a clear case victim of that.
He said that the fact that Indian federation was suspended, the boxers didn't have much to do and it also played on their minds. This may not be a good reason to get into such nefarious activities. But then fame (India's most celebrated boxer), power (a senior post in Haryana Police), connections (wife from an influential Delhi family) and talent (a former world no. 1) is a heady mix. And that's what has shown its true colours.
Not that the country is baying for his blood, but Vijender will have to come out with some concrete explanations (read excuses) to come clean on this. My gut says the self-proclaimed 'cool dude' isn't as cool in this. But being a hero to many aspiring boxers, either he should have guts to admit the truth like Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) does in the movie Flight. Or maybe he wants to become Lance Armstrong, admit it after its all over and forgotten.
But boxing in India could have never been in a worse situation than this. Never!
While the fans have taken the toll of unruly fiefdom in almost all sporting federations in the country, athletes were their only saving grace and with boxing, the fans and sports lovers can't even have faith in them anymore. While the investigations are getting murkier and doling out new names every second day, Vijender's reluctance for giving tests and coming out clean chit has really not helped his case and the counted-on-fingers boxing fans.
Thanks to my journalism stint and of course my adventure in boxing beyond my journalistic journey, I still am in good terms with a lot of who's who of boxing. And trust me the information, 'off the record' I have got from them isn't too encouraging. It may be the officials or the boxers. None have come out in defence of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awardee Vijender.
Now one may say that all of them have been jealous of Vijender's status and fame, but some of them are beyond that. Some boxers, who don't even aspire to be like Vijender, have said that finally this has come out in open. "He is like a Don in the camp. His clout is really strong and his word is 'patthar ki lakeer'. Being an employee of Indian Police, I was approached by similar people to help them in their activities."
The athlete in question here isn't someone who wants publicity and hasn't been in the national reckoning ever. He knew I wasn't speaking to him as a journalist, nor I was going to write a piece in the newspaper. So he knew it was safe to speak to me. Another boxer, a national level champ and also represented India at various events said that it isn't easy to handle fame and Vijender is a clear case victim of that.
He said that the fact that Indian federation was suspended, the boxers didn't have much to do and it also played on their minds. This may not be a good reason to get into such nefarious activities. But then fame (India's most celebrated boxer), power (a senior post in Haryana Police), connections (wife from an influential Delhi family) and talent (a former world no. 1) is a heady mix. And that's what has shown its true colours.
Not that the country is baying for his blood, but Vijender will have to come out with some concrete explanations (read excuses) to come clean on this. My gut says the self-proclaimed 'cool dude' isn't as cool in this. But being a hero to many aspiring boxers, either he should have guts to admit the truth like Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) does in the movie Flight. Or maybe he wants to become Lance Armstrong, admit it after its all over and forgotten.
But boxing in India could have never been in a worse situation than this. Never!
