Unsettled accounts: 30th reminder to Bajrang

ALMOST a year ago, a financial audit of Sports Authority of India (SAI) revealed that over 300 athletes, including Olympic medallists, did not furnish bills to the tune of Rs 8 crore.

- FIROZ MIRZA @Chennai

The matter was discussed in Mission Olympic Cell’s meeting then. The elite athletes, who failed to submit their bills, included Tokyo Olympic medallists like weightlifter Mirabai Chanu and wrestler Bajrang Punia apart from two-time World Championships medallist Vinesh Phogat, also a grappler.

A year later, a few athletes including Punia apparently still had not submitted bills. On March 10, Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) of SAI sent Punia an email as a reminder for settlement. Punia’s outstanding invoices were Rs 12,53,161 in April last year. It’s now Rs 9,40,800. The unsettled amount is the fund sanctioned by the TOPS towards his training camp in Dagestan, Russia from April 24 to May 28, 2024.