Justice for Monika

Don't disclose B sample result: Delhi HC
Imphal, Dec 4: The Delhi High Court has ruled that the B sample test result of weightlifter L Monika Devi should not be disclosed without the permission of the court.
An order to this effect was passed by Chief Justice AP Shah and Justice S Muralidhar on November 26 cting a petition jointly filed by Monika Devi, Ex-MLA L Ibomcha Singh and retired Medical Director Dr Th Suresh Singh.
The joint petition prayed for the intervention of the High Court in taking up necessary action against the officials responsible for the last minute exclusion of Monika Devi from the Beijing Olympics and for giving compensation by the Union of India for the mental harassment caused to the lifter.
The petition also contended the report of the urine sample of Monika taken during the Olympic trial as invalid.
Jan 7, 2009 has been fixed for the the next hearing.
The Sangai Express

Court issues notice on Monika plea

Justice for Monika

Sit-in-protest staged on Monika issue:
Imphal, Oct 4: Functionaries and volunteers of North East Students' Organisation's constituent bodies as well as former and present-day sportspersons staged sit-in-protest at Latasil ground in Guwahati in denunciation for preventing weightlifter L Monika Devi from participating at the recently concluded Beijing Olympic Games as well as in demand for making public the investigation report on the said issue.
An AMSU statement further maintained that the protest was organised to condemn exclusion of Monika Devi from the Beijing Games which is akin to discriminating against the people of North East region and to demand punitive action against the guilty persons responsible to denying the weightlifter an opportunity to compete with the world's best.
While AMSU president Khamba Laishram along with hockey Olympians Thoiba, Tiken and body-builder Kh Pradipkumar represented Manipur at the protest, NESO's functionaries led by its chairman Dr Samujjal Bhattacharya and a number of sportsperson also took part at the sit-in-protes.
In their remarks at the demonstration site, representatives of NE States un-equivocally expressed that preventing Monika from the Beijing Games clearly reflects discriminatory attitude of the Central authorities against the people of the region and pledged to work in unison to eradicate such step-motherly treatment.
Source: The Sangai Express

Thoiba Singh Speaks Out

IHF should give proper attention to junior level: Thoiba
Guwahati: The former star of the Indian hockey team Thoiba Singh, who was in the city to join a sit-in-strike organized by North East Student Organization (NESO) to seek justice for weightlifter Monika Devi, said that lack of proper training facilities to the junior players is the reason behind the downfall of Indian hockey. Here is the excerpt.
Q: This time India failed to qualify for the Beijing Olympics. Your reaction.

A: I was really hurt by the episode. You know, hockey is the game where once India dominated totally and also won the Olympics title for eight occasions. But we have lost the past glory and it is really very unfortunate for us that we didn't qualify for the recently concluded Beijing Olympics.
Q: Why such things are happening in the Indian hockey? Do you feel we don’t have quality players?

A: No, there is no dearth of talent in our country but we are still far away from proper planning. We failed to qualify for the recently concluded Beijing Olympics for several reasons. We are continuously ignoring to develop our junior players and as long as this type of system would be continued in our country I feel we will see such type of failure in the future also.
Q: Your suggestion in this regard.

A: We have to give equal attention to the junior players and should give them all type of training facilities. Unfortunately Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) failed to do so. Federation should play a vital role in this regard if they really want to bring back the golden day of the Indian hockey.
Q: Few experts feel that proper attention to be given at the time of selecting junior players. Do you feel it so?

A: I agree. Nowadays hockey is played in the astro turf and to play on that surface you need both physical fitness and speed. So during the selection we should keep both the points in our mind and special attention should be given on the speed.
Q: Are you actively involved with coaching nowadays?

A: Earlier, I did coaching regularly but due to different reasons it is not possible for me to continue coaching.
Q: Would you like to involve yourself for the development of hockey in the NE region?

A: I am always ready to do that. You would be glad to know that in the recent past, I had a talked with the officials of the Assam Hockey Association also regarding the development of the hockey in this region. I am always ready to help the game whenever my service would be sought.
Q: You know everything about the incident of Monika Devi. Would you tell us whether this type of incident did occur in Indian sports during your days?

A: It would be little bit difficult for me to give reply as I played the team game and Monika is associated with individual game. In the team game, it is difficult to do this type of injustice with a player.
Q: From a player’s points of view what will be the effect on Monika after the entire episode?

A; There will be a big impact on Monika after the incident. A player has to sacrifice a lot to reach a respectable position. After got selection in the team for a event like Olympics and all of a sudden if you dropped out from the team for a wrong reason then I feel that it is enough to finish a bright career.
Source: The Sentinel

Justice for Monika

YAS office sealed, Biren soothes frayed tempers:

Imphal, Sep 3: Venting their ire against the alleged discriminatory attitude to weightlifter Laishram Monika Devi, women in hundreds today picketed at the office of State's Youth Affairs and Sports (YAS) Department and sealed the same office today by locking its main gate.
The impasse, however, ended without any major incident after Sports Minister N Biren rushed to the YAS office located in Khuman Lampak Sports Complex and sought three days' time to urge the Central Government authorities for an immediate stand and clarification on the sordid conduct of SAI and IOA officials and action ased on the enquiry report of former Chief Election Commissioner TS Krishnamurthy.
The Minister reportedly assured to take up the matter at the next meeting of the State Cabinet in addition to insisting that a joint meeting along with representatives of organisations concerned would be hosted after the arrival of L Monika. Following the Minister's intervention the agitators reopened the YAS gate.
Earlier, the protestors under the banner of the 'Coordinating Committee Against the Conspiracy to Exclude Monika from Beijing Olympics by the Governmet of India converged at the YAS office gate demanding that the Krishnamurthy probe findings be made public and the guilty ones punished accordingly.
As per account of a key member of the Committee namely AK Janaki the former CEC, entrusted to investigate into the L Monika Devi issue, had submitted his report to the Union Sports Minister MS Gill on September 1 and rather than initiate action the Minister has taken leave for 15 days thereby amounting to delaying tactics and denial of justice.
Expressing that with the Central Govt seemingly reluctant to initiate appropriate action against the guilty officials of Indian Olympic Association and Sports Authority.of India based on the Krishnamurthy report the YAS office had been picketed and locked, Janaki maintained.
Monika's elder sister L Mamta Devi, who was also among the agitators, said only after the erring IOA and SAI officials are punished there would be satisfaction as if Monika had competed in the Beijing Games.
Monika, herself is slated to arrive?at Imphal tomorrow from Guwahati, where the Nachou native had joined a protest march denouncing alleged politicising of sports administration and selection exercise in the country.

Source: The Sangai Express

Justice for Monika

NE sportspersons neglected: Monika

Guwahati, Sep 3: Weightlifter Monika Devi, who finds herself in a doping controversy, on Wednesday alleged that the Central Government was neglecting budding sportsmen of the northeastern region.

"The Centre had always failed to cater to the sporting needs of the region, that is why northeast was lagging behind," alleged Monika, who missed Beijing Olympics on dope charges.

She was later cleared by a review panel appointed by the Indian Weightlifting Federation. The Sports Ministry also instituted a one-man committee of former Chief Election Commissioner of TS Krishnamurthy to probe into the doping controversy.

The Manipuri lifter was speaking after flagging off the Abhiruchi Sports Day Run in honour of Arjuna awardee from Assam, Bhogeswar Baruah, here.

"It is a conspiracy and it is really unfortunate," she said on her missing the Olympics as she broke down in front of a mammoth crowd of school children who participated in the run.

Monika said she was yet to decide whether or not to participate in national championships. She had last month stated that she would not take part in any national or international event until the officials who "wrongly" accused her of failing the dope test were punished.

Thousands of school children braving intermittent rain participated in the run from Chandmari area of the city to the Nehru stadium.

Source: Press Trust of India

Champion Boxer Back in Ring

Mary Kom ready for world championship:

Imphal, Sept 2: The world champion MC Mary Kom, the pugilist from Manipur comes back to the boxing ring after a two-year break to add a fourth world title to her bag. The defending 46 kg champion is now ready for her fifth world championship in Ningbo in China in November this year.
Mary, mother of two said it was difficult to sit for more than a year and a half and do nothing. She gave birth to twins a while back and had to keep the boxing gloves away. She said that her secret of success was to maintain her body weight.
“I had to take complete rest, doctors had advised me not to box for some time. Then I had to take care of my sons. It was a difficult period but my husband was very cooperative. At the moment, I am focusing on regaining my fitness and form,” she said.
She was vigorously going through weight training and sparring sessions with her team mates at the Hissar camp for the past month.
Mary Kom hopes that she will be able to enter the ring with full confidence in the Asian Championship, beginning in Guwahati from September 23. The championship will see boxers from 16 Asian nations, including China, South and North Korea, Mongolia and Japan.
Indian boxers will participate in all 13 weight categories. “This will be a test event for me before the world championship in China.” She declared.
Talking about the good performance of Indian boxers in the Beijing Olympics, she said, “We hope in the London Games women’s boxing will be included and we can win a few more medals.”
The boxing champion Mary Kom entered the Limca Books of Records last year. This 22-year-old world-boxing champion from Manipur became India’s first woman pugilist to get the Arjuna Award in 2004. She won the Silver medal in the World Championship in USA in 2001, her first international exposure that spurred her on to greater heights. Mary Kom won gold in the world championship in Turkey in 2002, in Russia in 2005 and in India in 2006.
She once said, “I was initially an all-round athlete, and 400 m race and javelin were my pet events. When Dingko Singh returned from Bangkok Asian games with a gold, I thought I should give it a try”.
After winning her first title and best boxer at the first State Level Invitation Women’s Boxing championship in Manipur in 2000, Mary Kom went to win the gold in the 7th East India Women’s Boxing Championship held in West Bengal and subsequently to win five Indian National Championship from 2000 to 2005.

Source: Assam Tribune

Ticket to Beijing

Manipuri woman judoka earns Olympic berth:
New Delhi, May 31: Commonwealth champion Kh Tombi Devi and Diviya will represent India at the Beijing Olympics, the Judo Union of Asia said today.
Kh Tombi Devi, who qualified in the 48 kg category, and Diviya (78 kg) earned their Olympic berths as per the points they received in the Asian Judo Championships.
Kh Tombi Devi is from Manipur and is presently working with the CRPF. She won the Gold medal in the Commonwealth Judo Championship in January this year. She also bagged the bronze in the Asian Judo Championships held in Kuwait last year.
The Judo Federation of India is sending them for training to Uzbekistan along with coach Armen Bagdasarove.
Source: United News of India (UNI)

Laishram Monika Fetches Weightlifting Olympic Berth:
New Delhi, Apr 30: With one silver and two bronze to their kitty in the ongoing Asian weightlifting championship in Kanazawa in Japan, Indian women have booked one berth for Beijing Olympics.
Laishram Monika Devi has fetched three medals for India in the women’s 69kg event in the final Olympic qualifying event which concludes on Thursday.
The team’s assistant manager Parminder Singh said that India had secured one Olympic berth in the women’s section.
“By virtue of one silver and two bronze medals, our women have booked one quota place for Olympics,” he said.
On Wednesday, Shailaja Pujari finished fifth overall in the women’s 75kg category with a total lift of 218kg (95 in snatch and 123 in clean and jerk), while compatriot Kavita Devi withdrew from the competition in the same category.
In the women’s above-75 kg category, Geeta Rani finished overall sixth with a lift of 224kg (99+125), while compatriot K. Tulsi ended at the bottom of the list in the 11-lifter field with a total lift of 177 (80+97).
Source: Press Trust of India