Seasoned India pugilist Amit Panghal has been forced to request an Indian multinational conglomerate to help him pay the salary of his personal coach — Anil Dhankar, who was recently been allowed to join him to help in the boxer’s preparations for the Tokyo Olympics.
Panghal, who is one of India’s leading medal prospects in the upcoming showpiece event, has put in a formal request with the corporate group to pay a coaching fee of approx Rs five lakh to Dhankar for the period between January 2021 till Tokyo Games in July-August this year.
Dhankar has joined Panghal as his coach without pay at the boxing national camp currently underway at IIS, Bellary.
Dhankar was given permission to coach the boxer by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and Boxing Federation of India (BFI).
Earlier, when Dhankar’s original application was forwarded by the BFI to SAI, he was introduced as a ‘Panghal’s motivator’. Later, Panghal was forced to visit the SAI headquarters to correct the anomaly in his appointment, and Dhankar was finally offered the job as his personal coach.
But, while making the appointment, both SAI and BFI didn’t engage him on their payrolls and the boxer had to personally arrange for his coach’s remuneration.