Asian C’ship silver winner made to carry medal trays
14 March 2013 1:59 AM GMT
In a shocking incident, Indian women cyclists, including podium finisher Manorama Devi, was made to carry medal trays for the felicitations of other medal-winners in the Asian Cycling Championship on Wednesday. The trays are usually carried by ceremonial staff but here they were carried by Manorama, Sunita Devi and Anjana, all representing India at the event.
Manorama won silver in the track event which was held at the IG velodrome before the action shifted to Buddha International Circuit where road races are being held. Sunita took part in elite individual time trial event on Wednesday.
Shockingly, Cycling Federation of India defended the decision to put these girls on duty. ‘It’s no way demeaning the girls. It’s an innovative way of felicitation. Giving a medal to an Asian champion is an honour. It also conveys a mark of respect for a better cyclist. We used to do it in our college days,’ said organising secretary Onkar Singh.
In another shocking incident, India’s gold medal-winning cyclists were deprived of the proud moment of listening to their national anthem during the medal ceremony because the systems were not in place at F1 circuit. The organisers did try an innovative way of playing the anthem on a laptop and transmitting it to the speakers through a wireless set but the makeshift arrangement did not work. ‘We did try to play it (anthems) somehow. But, there was no sound system in place. It’s a F1 track so it did not have a facility where flags could be displayed. These things will be put in order by tomorrow,’ Singh said.
Manorama won silver in the track event which was held at the IG velodrome before the action shifted to Buddha International Circuit where road races are being held. Sunita took part in elite individual time trial event on Wednesday.
Shockingly, Cycling Federation of India defended the decision to put these girls on duty. ‘It’s no way demeaning the girls. It’s an innovative way of felicitation. Giving a medal to an Asian champion is an honour. It also conveys a mark of respect for a better cyclist. We used to do it in our college days,’ said organising secretary Onkar Singh.
In another shocking incident, India’s gold medal-winning cyclists were deprived of the proud moment of listening to their national anthem during the medal ceremony because the systems were not in place at F1 circuit. The organisers did try an innovative way of playing the anthem on a laptop and transmitting it to the speakers through a wireless set but the makeshift arrangement did not work. ‘We did try to play it (anthems) somehow. But, there was no sound system in place. It’s a F1 track so it did not have a facility where flags could be displayed. These things will be put in order by tomorrow,’ Singh said.
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