Justice for Monika

SAI official RK Naidu transferred

New Delhi, Sep 18: Less than a week after T S Krishnamurthy submitted his report on the Monika Devi doping saga, a top Sports Authority of India official was today removed from his post at the SAI headquarters here and sent packing to Bhopal.

R K Naidu, who was the SAI Director (Team Division), has been transferred to Bhopal and would be replaced by SS Roy, who is the Director of SAI Northern Centre in Sonepat.

Monika was about to board the Beijing flight before she was charged to have flunked a dope test. After a lot of drama and protest wave, the lifter was cleared by a review committee set up by the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF).

But the reprieve came too late and the Olympic door had been shut on her face by then.Krishnamurthy was less than impressed by the role played by SAI in the entire episode and was particularly annoyed with the inordinate delay between Monika's dope tests and intimation of the results to the lifter.

"There is no doubt that there has been a considerable delay in completing the test of the sample of Monika Devi taken on June 6, 2008 and in communicating the same to the athlete. Had the testing been done within the stipulated time and the result thereof been communicated immediately thereafter, the disappointment and the mental shock the athlete had by the sudden and abrupt communication especially through the media first could have been easily avoided," the former Chief Election Commissioner had observed in his report.

Source: Press Trust of India (PTI)

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Justice for Monika

Monika hopes for punishment to guilty:

Guwahati, Sep 3: Weightlifter Monika Devi on Wednesday said her soul would get peace if her compatriot Sailaja and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) top officials were punished by the inquiry committee.
Speaking here on the occasion of annual Abhiruchi Sports Day, Monika said, "I am innocent. I have been framed by the senior SAI bosses, who did not want me to go to Beijing Olympics. I have cleared, at least, 30 dope tests before. How come just hours before I was scheduled to leave for Beijing, news flashed on TV that I have tested positive?"
According to Monika, SAI Executive Director R K Naidu and Sailja ganged up to cook up the dope theory and successfully prevented her from taking flight to Beijing.
"They (SAI officials) are all thieves. Just because I got into the cleansing act and decided to do away with corrupt SAI coaches, they are now after me. SAI’s executive director (teams) RK Naidu and (SAI coach) Hansa Sharma are among others have all ganged up against me and implicated me," she added.
She rued that India missed a bronze, adding as the eventual bronze medalist of Beijing Olympic, lifted the same weight she used to lift generally.
"In the pre-Olympic trial, a fierce competition was organised by some army judges who have no knowledge of modern day women weightlifting and there Sailaja was made eventual winner. In fact, she had taken dope to enhance her performance. So far, she had failed five times in the WADA dope test and according to WADA rules, she should have been banned for life,'' she further informed.
Her home state Manipur was in turmoil over her denial and forced the Prime Minister to intervene. Currently, an inquiry was going on under the former Chief Election Commissioner Krishnamurthy.
The day is celebrated statewide at over 100 places 3 every year to celebrate the birthday of the first Asian Games gold medalist as well as the state’s first Arjuna award winner Bhogeswar Barua.

Source: United News of India

First in Manipur Hockey

Stipend for Manipur academy players:

Imphal, Dec 12: Posterior Hockey Academy, Manipur, has introduced a monthly stipend for its players who put up a good performance at the national level, from next year.

The president of the academy Th. Nabachandra Singh said the academy would give a monthly stipend of Rs 500 to 20 or 30 players who have played in national level tournaments and done them proud.The academy will receive financial help from the Sports Authority of India, NERC.

The academy had recently feted players who had done exceptionally well and lifted the Manipur Hockey Association-sponsored 1st Super Six Champion 2007 and the 13th state-level open women’s hockey championship.

Three of its players, goalkeeper O. Boniyam Singh and forwards Th. Anuradha Devi and S. Ranjita Devi, have been adding glamour to the academy and to the state hockey scenario with their performance in the national squads.

Th. Anuradha Devi bagged the Best Player’s award in the 4th national women’s international hockey tournament in Japan.

The academy players have so far participated in 30 tournaments, winning 11 national level tournaments and emerged as runners-up in eight.

Posted On: The Telegraph