Lost bronze to a ‘transgender’ athlete, claims Swapna Barman

New Delhi, October 2

The Indian athletics contingent was unnecessarily dragged into a controversy after Swapna Barman said she lost a medal in the women’s heptathlon event to a transgender athlete.

“I have lost my bronze medal to a transgender woman at the 19th Asian Games held in Hangzhou. I want my medal back as it is against the rules of athletics. Help me and support me please,” Barman tweeted today morning.

While she did not name the athlete, the cryptic tweet, deleted hours later, put teammate Nandini Agasara in the spotlight. Nandini won bronze with a total of 5,712 points. Swapna, who won gold in Jakarta, was four points behind Nandini with 5,708 and finished fourth.

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) was surprised with the allegation. “There has been no test or any report that suggests Nandini is transgender or is an athlete with differences of sexual development (DSD),” said a source in the AFI. “The result will stay and frankly we are surprised with Swapna’s reaction on social media,” he added.

Nandini, too, was disappointed with the allegations and questioned the timing of the outburst.

“I do not know why she made these allegations. The timing is suspect as well. She could have made these complaints earlier,” Nandini told the media in Hangzhou. “I think it was done because I won the bronze because of my sheer hard work and dedication that she came up with this transgender allegation. This is so unfair. I thank the government and my federation for supporting me,” she added.