In a nation of scams, a winner needs to show proof

Chandigarh, Feb 11: In a nation where politicians and bureaucrats, loot millions of dollars in every possible scam and graft, a sportsperson who brought laurels to his country is having a hell of a time to claim the prize money he so rightly deserves. This is the tale of boxer Vijender Singh and the heckling he has received to claim the reward money announced by government for his sporting achievements.

According to a report by the Times of India, Singh has been asked by officials of the Haryana state government, to produce certificates to show whether he had indeed won medals at the Asian Championships and World Championships.

For the record, Singh had won won a silver in the Asian Championships in Guangzhou in 2010 and a bronze medal, the first ever by an Indian, in the World Amateur Championships 2009.

Haryana sports director O P Singh appears unapologetic and is quoted by the Times of India as saying, "There are set government procedures I've to follow ...Bring the certificates and I'll give the money."

The newspaper has quoted Vijender as saying, ".. For World Championships we do not get certificates, so how can I prove it. I have the medal which they do not accept. I lost the Asian Championships certificate during transit. Though I have given a letter from the federation confirming that I have indeed won the medal, but that does not satisfies them."

True that the official is right in following the procedures, but then couldn't he have foregone red-tapes for a person who has shed blood and sweat to bring laurels to the country.

And all this heckling is for a reward money that would barely amount to Rs One Lakh. Wonder what the official in charge would have done if he were there in the Telecom ministry at the time 2G spectrum was being allocated!!

OneIndia News