Pugilist Nikhat, paddler Manika to train abroad

New Delhi, April 3

The Sports Ministry today cleared the requests of several top athletes, including the Olympics-bound trio of boxer Nikhat Zareen, long jumper Murali Sreeshankar and table tennis player Manika Batra, for financial assistance to train abroad.

Boxers Nikhat, Preeti Pawar, Parveen Hooda and Lovlina Borgohain will travel to Turkey for a foreign training camp along with their coaches and a physiotherapist. Wrestlers Sujeet (65kg), Deepak Punia (86kg) and Naveen (74kg) will head to Russia along with their sparring partners, a coach and physiotherapists to train for the Olympics qualification tournament later this month.

Asian and Commonwealth Games medallist Sreeshankar’s proposal for competing in the Diamond League in Suzhou and Doha was also cleared. Manika will get financial assistance for participation in the WTT Feeder Varazdin in Croatia.