'India is proud of them': Kiren Rijiju nullifies grudge between Mary Kom & Nikhat Zareen

Sports Minister Kiren Rijiu on Monday ridiculed the ongoing scuffle between Mary Kom and Nikhat Zareen and said that too much of an issue is being created on this. War of words between Nikhat Zareen and Mary Kom continued as Zareen stated that she did not like the senior's behaviour and alleged that she refused to hug her. The match, on Saturday, ended with Mary Kom defeating Nikhat Zareen 9-1, thereby securing a spot in India's boxing team in the qualifiers set to be held in China in 2020.

Taking to his Twitter, Rijiju praised both the athletes and stated that Zareen has the potential to follow the footsteps of the 'legend' Mary Kom.

Zareen had also demanded a 'fair trial' against the veteran boxer to decide who would represent India in the Olympic qualifiers in 51 kg Boxing. The 23-year-old grabbed eyeballs when she even wrote to Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijuju demanding 'fair trails.' The Minister was swift in his response as he assured Zareen that the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) would take a fair decision.

READ: War intensifies as Nikhat Zareen slams Mary Kom for inappropriate behavior after loss

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Mary Kom grabs eighth medal at World Championships

Back in October, 36-year-old Mary Kom grabbed her eighth medal at the World Boxing Championships as she had to settle for a bronze after her semi-final defeat against Busenaz Cakiroglu of Turkey. Soon after her victory, speculations arose that Kom might skip the trials and earn a direct qualification for the 2020 Olympic qualifiers. However, according to the announcement by the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) earlier, only gold and silver medallists were to be exempted from the qualification.

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READ: War-of-words to grudge match to war-of-words again: Mary Kom-Zareen feud still not over?