Chaos marred govt award-giving function for Oly medal winners

Wrestlers Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt, shooters Vijay Kumar and Gagan Narang, shuttler Saina Nehwal and boxer M C Mary Kom were handed cash awards by the government for winning medals in the just-concluded London Olympics in a function held at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.

But the function held at an open area outside the hockey stadium turned into a complete chaos by pushing and shoving by the hundreds of fans, mainly school children, who turned up and tried to reach the dais to have a glimpse of their heroes.

All hell broke loose when the medal winners were presented cash awards with hordes of people trying to get a vantage position and coming from nowhere near the dais, leading to the trampling on the other athletes who took part in the Olympics and were sitting on chairs under the sweltering heat.

The mismanagement by the organisers was such that Wrestling Federation of India President, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh lambasted the Sports Ministry for "humiliating" the federation officials by inviting them to such a function.

"We have been insulted after being invited to such a badly mismanaged function. I have not attended such a mismanaged function in my life. We should not have come for this function," a fuming Bhushan said.

"I don't mind I am being quoted. We were shouting at the top of our voice asking people to sit down but it was all in vain. So many athletes left the venue in disgust. This is humiliating to us.

"Our federation gave two medals but they (Sports Ministry) did not even take our name. We made the effort and they want to take all the credit," he added. (MORE)