NEW DELHI: What a leading athlete's angry tweet and the political pressure that ensues can do to a country's campaign at a major multi-sport event is best reflected in the episode involving Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain's 'mental harassment' charge and the uproar that accompanied it afterwards.
To accommodate Lovlina's unjust demand to allow her personal coach, Sandhya Gurung, to stay with her at the Games Village, an accredited official team doctor's village card was cancelled, the women's team's head coach was moved to a far-away hotel accommodating the 'extra team officials' (ETO) with no full-time access to his boxers and an assistant coach and a physio were forced to share a common room. Not only this, for the eight member men's boxing team, just one coach - head coach Narendra Rana - and physio Subhash Rajpat Pal will be available round-the-clock at the village.
