Former Indian marathon runner Sunita Godara on Thursday dubbed the International Olympic Committee's move to deny wild card entry to five-time world champion Mary Kom for the Rio Olympics as a major setback for boxing.
"It is a major setback for boxing. Mary Kom has earned so much fame world-wide. Now, what is the big deal if she has failed to qualify once?" Godara told ANI.
She said if Mary Kom cannot be accepted as a wild card entry according to the Olympic rules then they may as well take her as a Goodwill Brand Ambassador for the Rio Olympics 2016.
"They can consider people like Salman Khan as a good will ambassador who has passed such derogatory comments against women after his movie, but neglect world champion such as Mary Kom who has won so many medals in Olympics before," she added.
The International Olympic Committee has denied wild card entry to Mary Kom for the Rio Olympics.
Kishan Narsi, the chairman of Amateur International Boxing Association appointed ad-hoc committee, confirmed this news to ANI.
Kom's hopes of securing qualification for the forthcoming Rio Olympics were shattered after she crashed out of the second round of the AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships in Kazakhstan.
The 33-year-old became the first Indian woman to win a boxing medal when she clinched bronze in the 2012 London Games.
