‘I have not announced retirement’: Mary Kom says she was misquoted

Olympian MC Mary Kom refuted reports of her retirement that made headlines on Thursday morning. The six time boxing world champion and Olympic bronze medallist said that she has been wrongly quoted and was only referring to age limit restrictions in Olympics. 

The 41-year-old is past the age of eligibility to compete on the amateur circuit. She said that she has not made any formal announcement about retiring from the sport.

"I haven't announced retirement yet and I have been misquoted. I will personally come in front of the media whenever I want to announce it. I have gone through some media reports stating that I have announced retirement and this is not true," the Manipuri flyweight (51kg) category boxer said in a statement.

Earlier in the day reports quoted her as saying that due to the age cut-off of 40 years for amateur boxers, she has been forced to retire.

Mary Kom said that during her speech to children at a school in Assam’s Dibrugarh on January 24, she spoke about her hunger of achieving in sports but age limit in Olympics won’t allow her to participate. She said she would, nevertheless, carry on with her sport. 

"I am still focusing on my fitness and whenever I will announce retirement I will inform everyone. Please do correct this," she said, referring to the miscommunication.

Mary Kom, one of the most decorated Indian sportspersons of all time, has not been in action since her loss in the Tokyo Olympics pre-quarterfinal. It was her last appearance at the quadrennial showpiece.

The champion boxer is a mother of four and also has a Khel Ratna to her name. She served as a Rajya Sabha MP too. In 2020, she was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award in the country.

Also read: I've at least 3-4 years left in the ring: Mary Kom mulls turning pro next year