NEW DELHI, April 16 (PTI): Rubbishing reports that Olympic bronze-medallist MC Mary Kom could be barred from the trials for the Olympic qualifiers, Boxing India (BI) today said the veteran is not under any compulsion to attend the national camp and has been granted permission to train individually. Mary Kom, a five-time world champion, is currently training in Manipur at her own academy even as the rest gathered here for a national camp at the Indira Gandhi National Stadium. Reports quoting Boxing India secretary general Jay Kowli emerged today that Mary Kom would be barred from the trials for the qualifiers for next year�s Olympics if she did not report to the camp.
However, Kowli said he made no such statement.
�I did not make any such statement about Mary being stopped from giving trials. I said that she would have to appear for trials. As far as training is concerned, top boxers have always been allowed to train on their own. She can train wherever she is comfortable but she has to appear for trials. That�s all I said,� Kowli told PTI clarifying his stand.
�I am not against Mary Kom. She has trained on her own in the past as well and nobody has a problem with that but when the trials happen, she would have to appear like others. This point of mine has been misreported,� he added.
