India’s boxing legend MC Mary Kom revealed that she was asked to change her ring dress just a minute before her quarter-final bout at Tokyo Olympics 2020. Taking to her official Twitter handle, Kom on Friday (July 30) wrote that she was surprised after the incident and appealed for an explanation. She even tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, current sports minister Anurag Thakur, former sports minister Kiren Rijiju, the International Olympics Committee also the official handle of Olympics.
Boxing great MC Mary Kom made a heart-breaking exit from Tokyo Olympics after losing to Ingrit Victoria Valencia of Colombia in the battle of former Olympic medallists on Thursday. It was one tight bout between two mothers. And the split decision (3:2) goes in the favour of Valencia.
“Surprising..can anyone explain what will be a ring dress. I was ask to change my ring dress just a minute before my pre qtr bout can anyone explain,” Mary wrote on Twitter.
She also slammed the International Olympic Committee’s Boxing Task Force for “poor judging”, telling PTI, “I don’t know and understand this decision, what’s wrong with the Task Force? What’s wrong with the IOC?”
The Task Force is conducting the boxing competition in Tokyo after the International Boxing Association (AIBA) was suspended by the IOC for alleged mis-governance and financial wrongdoing.
The match outcome was a shocking upset and was likely the 38-year-old legend’s last Olympic appearance. Kom is a six-time world champion and holds a bronze medal from the 2012 London Olympics. She is also a recipient of the Arjuna Award, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, and the Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan.
Mary could be seen smiling and raising her hands after the judges’ decision was announced. The 38-year-old six-time world champion said that she realised she had lost only after seeing former sports minister Kiren Rijiju’s tweet about her bout.
“I thought I was winning the fight. Then I saw Kiren Rijiju’s tweet on social media about my defeat, I was shocked and upset after that. I don’t know what to say, I can’t believe a decision like this was made,” Mary told India Today.
“When I entered the doping centre to give my sample after the fight, even then I couldn’t believe that I lost. My coach was trying to tell me that I won, but what does that mean I’m not able to understand.
“I had beaten this girl twice in the past. I couldn’t believe that her hand was raised by the referee. I swear, it hadn’t struck me that I lost, I was so sure,” she added.
