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Crowdfunding for Ayonika’s jacket upsets shooting body
NEW DELHI: Olympic-bound rifle shooter Ayonika Paul and Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ) have ticked off the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).
NEW DELHI: Olympic-bound rifle shooter Ayonika Paul and Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ) have ticked off the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).
Genpact, a funder supporter of OGQ, had started a crowd funding initiative on milaap.org in Ayonika’s name seeking funds for among others things, Rs 3 lakh for a sports jacket that the shooter needs for the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio.
NRAI president Raninder Singh told HT that such an act showed both NRAI and the Government of India in bad light. “A crore and something has been given under TOPs scheme to the athlete. While we welcome sponsorships from private party like OGQ etc, who are a great help to the athlete, this is hardly some way for them to raise the funds,” Singh said.
Initially, Ayonika was penciled to get Rs 60 lakh under the TOPS scheme. She had then sought Rs 1.14crore for a 47-day training stint from April-June that included purchase of equipment worth Rs 33lakh. This fact wasn’t lost on NRAI chief.
“I mean what are they doing? They are basically running down the image of the athlete. They are obviously insinuating that the federation does nothing for its Olympians and that the Government of India has left them in the lurch, which is absolutely incorrect. The amount of funding that the 12 shooters have got from GOI now this year in unprecedented. When you are giving a crore and something why are you selling this three lakh nonsense?”
When pressed for a response Ashim Paul, Ayonika’s father said he did not wish to make a comment. NRAI secretary Rajiv Bhatia wrote to Ashim and as well as OGQ chief Viren Rasquinha on Wednesday to explain the matter and also asked them to promptly remove the matter from the website in order to “avoid any further embarrassment”.
Rasquinha apologised to NRAI while mentioning that it was Genpact and not the OGQ which was responsible.
“However, we sincerely apologise to Ayonika and to the NRAI for any embarrassment that has been caused. I can assure you that was never the intention. We have asked Genpact to stop the campaign with immediate effect and it has already been taken off the website,” Rasquinha wrote.
The webpage has been deleted immediately.
