RFI writes to their Athletes Commission over Dattu Bhokanal matter

Rowing Federation of India (RFI) has written to their internal Athletes Commission asking them to comment on the letter received from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) seeking details of banning rower Dattu Bhokanal.

"We have received a letter from IOA requiring the details of the ban imposed on Dattu and I have written to the athletes commission to give their suggestion and advice and I am waiting for a reply from them. Once I will get a reply, I will take the call accordingly. As of now, there is no meeting scheduled with IOA." RFI president, Rajlaxmi Singh Deo, told ANI.

Rajlaxmi also said that if Bhokanal would have come to them, they would have reviewed his ban and it is shocking that he directly wrote to IOA Athletes Commission.

Earlier on January 17, IOA had asked the RFI to provide details with regard to the decision of suspending Bhokanal. IOA president Narinder Dhruv Batra, in his letter to Rajlaxmi, had stated that he wanted answers to two questions.

In his first question, he had asked as to "which body or committee of RFI took the decision to suspend the athlete and minutes or details of that decision?"

In the second question, Batra asked as to under which "rule of RFI is it mentioned that punishment for such an office will be two years ban. Please share those rules?"

Bhokanal is facing a two-year ban imposed by RFI on March 29 last year for stopping a race mid-way in the 2018 Asian Games.