Achieving new heights of career! L Sarita Devi elected as member of AIBA athletes commission
Total Views |
New Delhi, November 18: India's boxing legend Laishram Sarita Devi is among the six boxers from 5 continents who were elected as members of AIBA Athletes Commission. She will be representing the Asian bloc in the AIBA’s first-ever athletes commission. Sarita Devi was the sole candidate contesting for the position from the Asian region.
“Being a part of the commission, I will ensure that the fairness is maintained and no boxers are deprived. Everyone puts in hard work to come at a level, and one wrong decision could mar their careers. I will ensure that something like that doesn’t happen to anybody. It is a big responsibility and I will try to do it as sincerely as I can. It is a challenging task for sure and I am looking forward to it.” Says Sarita.
In a letter, the AIBA’s interim president, Mohamed Moustahsane, has officially informed the top Indian women boxer about her inclusion in the prestigious panel. “I am confident that with your knowledge and experience, you will be an important contributor to the activities of the Commission,” Moustahsane wrote in his letter. “It is a great honour for me and I am happy that AIBA has included me as a member of the commission. In my new role, I will speak for the players,”
A seasoned campaigner, Sarita, courted controversy in the Asian Games in 2014, when she refused to accept her bronze medal at the prize distribution ceremony of the 57-60kg category. While many felt that the Manipur boxer was right in her approach, AIBA suspended her for the ‘disrespectful’ act. But for Sarita, life now has come a full circle. “Nobody knows what a boxer goes through when the decisions don’t go in his or favour. Having gone through it all, I will make sure that I speak about the boxers and try and be with them,” Sarita says.
Born to a family of farmers in Manipur, she was the 6th of 8 siblings. As a kid, she used to help her parents collect firewood and that is what built her stamina in the years to come. While in school, she had already taken up boxing. By the time her schooling was over, the sport was her life. Muhammad Ali was her inspiration and in 2000 she turned professional. 2001 saw her win silver in the Asian Championships. It was only a sign of things to come.
In 2006, she won gold at the World Championships. Not to mention a silver which came at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. The Asian Games the same year saw her court controversy when she claimed to have won her semifinal bout while the judges ruled against her. She took home a bronze but could not escape a one-year ban for the outburst.
Things were never the same as she failed to make it to the 2016 Olympics. But in 2018 she won silver at the Indian Open International Championships. A national gold followed as well.
In 2009, she was awarded Arjuna award by the government of India for her achievements.
She is currently an athlete representative in the Boxing Federation of India’s executive committee. The federation had nominated her for the position in the world boxing body.