The Indian Boxing Federation has written to the Sports Ministry with a request that Olympic medal winning pugilist Vijender Singh and coach Jaydev Bisht may be allowed to skip the Arjuna awards function to be held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on August 29.
Vijender has been selected for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award while Bisht has been picked for the Dronacharya Award.
However, the Indian team is scheduled to leave for Milan on August 27 to take part in the World championships.
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The Secretary General of the Indian federation, P.K. Muralidharan Raja, said, “If they were to stay back and receive the awards and then leave for Milan on August 30, it may affect Vijender’s mental preparations for the World championships as the technical meeting is scheduled on August 30 evening and the medical and weighing-in on August 31.”
The federation has urged the Sports Ministry to permit Vijender and Bisht to go with the rest of the squad on August 27 and arrange a special prize distribution function on some other suitable date. The Ministry’s response is awaited.
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Vijender Singh is at the second spot in the latest World rankings for the 75 kg weight category. As per the International Boxing Association (AIBA) rankings, Vijender, the bronze medal winner at the Beijing Olympics, is ranked second with a total of 1700 points.
Cuban boxer Correa Bayeux Emilio, who had defeated Vijender in the semifinals of the Olympics, is perched atop the table with 2500 points. Blanco Parro Alfonso of Venezuela, with a tally of 1300 points, is at the third spot followed by Artayev Bakhtiyar of Kazakhstan with 1250 points.