Indian boxer Sarita Devi, who could face lengthy international ban for refusing to accept bronze medal on the podium, has appealed to her fans and the Indian government to stand by her in her hour of need.
Sarita had lost a controversial lightweight bout against South Korean Ji Na Park. She broke down during the medal ceremony at Incheon and went on to slam Boxing India officials for ignoring her plight.
An emotional Sarita broke down during her conversation with CNN-IBN and said that she simply could not accept the medal.
"Indians should support me for my actions," she told CNN-IBN. "I have done it for my country."
"None of the officials who came with me protested. I have been representing India for 14-15 years now but no one supported me when I needed it the most," she said.
"When I went to the medal ceremony I broke down because I wanted to see the Indian national flag go up but when I saw it down, I couldn't control myself. It wasn't my medal. I didn't want to take the medal to India. I wanted to leave the sadness behind in South Korea," she said.
Sarita's husband, Thoiba Singh, told the news channel that they decided to make a public protest because that was the only way to draw attention to the injustice done to Sarita.
"I told her before coming to the podium, whatever you feel like doing or saying for the sake of sports, for the sake of Indian sports in particular, just do it," he said.
"I have sacrificed for my country, whatever I did, I did it for my country and other players so that they don't go through the same thing again," she concluded.
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