Having won gold medals for India at the World Boxing Championship as well as the Commonwealth Games in 2022, Nikhat Zareen is one of the overwhelming favourites to win the National Boxing Championship currently being held in Bhopal. The 26-year-old pugilist broke her silence about the ongoing Hijab row and the volatile situation in Iran.
Zareen breezed past Tamil Nadu’s LK Abinaya in the round-of-32 bout, setting up her next challenge against Meghalaya’s Eva Marbaniang in the pre-quarterfinal on Thursday.
In an interview with Dainik Bhaskar, the Indian boxer said that there should be no place for religion or politics when it comes to sports. Comparing the situation of India to that of Iran, she stated that there are no restrictions on Hijab here.
READ| IND vs BAN 2nd Test: Rahul Dravid offers advice to Mushfiqur Rahim, his gesture for Team India coach goes viral
When quizzed about the volatile situation in Iran, and the Hijab row, Nikhat Zareen said, "Being an athlete I would not like to comment on political issues, but as far as Hijabs are concerned, we're allowed to compete wearing the international body Hijab by the federation so there are no restrictions. Here, you can follow your religion and play as per the rules."
She further insisted that matters of sports and religion should be kept separate.
"For me, religion doesn't matter when it comes to sports. We are here to represent the nation and our aim should be to win medals for India."
READ| IPL 2023 auction: Cameron Green, Ben Stokes or Sam Curran? Anil Kumble chooses overseas pick for Punjab Kings
Next up, Nikhat is targeting glory at the World Championship, and her ultimate goal is to win gold for India at the Paris Olympics in 2024.
"The ultimate dream is to win gold for India at Paris Olympics, I want to focus on every tournament one by one, currently I'm competing at the Nationals, so I'm focused on winning here. Afterwards, I'll switch my attention to the World Championships," she added.
