New Delhi — Olympian boxer Ashish Chaudhary has raised serious concerns over the lack of sufficient leave granted to athletes from Himachal Pradesh for training, urging Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to intervene and ensure better support for sportspersons.
In a letter addressed to the Chief Minister, Ashish highlighted that inadequate time for training is a significant hurdle for Himachal’s athletes, preventing them from competing effectively at national and international levels.
Speaking to IANS, Ashish confirmed, “Yes, athletes from Himachal are facing multiple challenges.” Expressing his frustration, the 30-year-old boxer from Mandi district said, “As an Olympian from the state, it pains me to share that I’m facing critical challenges in pursuing my sports career.”
Ashish emphasized that achieving excellence in sports demands years of dedicated training. He pointed out that athletes in other states and departments receive up to a year of leave to prepare for major competitions, but his own department does not offer such extended leave. “How can I continue training effectively and perform well when I’m not given enough time for practice? How can I represent my country under these circumstances?” he asked in his letter.
The Olympian took to social media to share his plea, tagging CM Sukhu and detailing the struggles faced not only by himself but also by handball and kabaddi players from Himachal. “Our competitors from the Army, Railways, Haryana, Punjab, and other states get year-long leave for training, while we are left with very little time to prepare. This puts us at a huge disadvantage,” he wrote.
Ashish further noted that few athletes from Himachal Pradesh qualify for global events like the Olympics, and even when they do, they lack adequate institutional support. He stressed that despite being part of the Sports Authority of India’s National Centre of Excellence (SAI NCOE) — a hub for elite athletes — he is not granted on-duty leave for training like athletes from other states and departments.
“Even after SAI NCOE issues a training release letter, my department refuses to relieve me based on it. Instead, I’m forced to use my earned leave for training,” he wrote, urging the Chief Minister to resolve the issue and take necessary steps to support athletes.
Ashish Chaudhary is a decorated boxer, having won a silver medal at the 2019 Asian Championships and a gold medal at the 2019 Thailand Open International Boxing Tournament. He represented India in the middleweight category at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
The boxer’s appeal has sparked a conversation around the need for systemic reforms to support athletes in Himachal Pradesh, ensuring they receive equal opportunities and backing as their counterparts in other states.
