Sarita Devi suspended by AIBA for protesting at the Asian Games

She has been suspended by AIBA for refusing to accept her medal, said reports. 

According to reports, AIBA also barred coaches Gurbaksh Sandhu, Sagar Dhayal and Blax Iglesias Fernandes and India's chef de mission Adile Sumariwala from its events until further notice.

Sarita Devi had later apologized for her behaviour triggered by her emotions which she said she did in national interest.

The controversy started after Sarita Devi lost the semi-final match against host nation South Korea's Park Ji-Na in the Asian Games. In the controversy clouded semi-final bout, Devi lost to Park 3-0 despite clearly being the better boxer.

Despite hit by Sarita's punches on her chins, the referee Algerian referee Hammadi Yakoub Kheira did not give a single standing count. All three ringside judges ruled in favour of the local boxer. Sarita told media then: "I am feeling very sad."

She also slammed the Indian officials later for not reaching out to her.A disconsolate Sarita had refused to accept her bronze medal during the medal ceremony. She was in tears in the podium when she was asked to accept the bronze, as she refused to wear the medal in protest. Instead after taking the medal in her hand, Sarita handed it over to South Korean silver medalist Ji Na Park who had defeated her.

The International Boxing Association (AIBA) earlier had 'opened' disciplinary case against the Indian boxer. According to the AIBA website earlier, David B. Francis, an AIBA Supervisor, known as the Technical Delegate, submitted a report to the Olympic Council of Asia concerning the case of an Indian boxer’s behaviour who refused the bronze medal at the Award Ceremony for the 17th Asian Games in Incheon, Korea, which took place at the Sunhak Boxing Competition Venue.

“The whole incident looked like a well planned scenario by her and her team, and it is regretful to watch a boxer refuse the medal regardless of what happened in the competition. In this regard, as the Technical Delegate, I had to request OCA to review this incident, so any boxer or athlete in other sports will not follow in her footsteps by respecting the spirit of fair-play and sportsmanship of the Olympic Movement,” Francis was quoted as saying by the website earlier.