Dutee Chand: I never expressed that I am selling car to fund training

The 24-year-old athlete had posted pictures of her BMW on social media.

India’s ace sprinter Dutee Chand has provided a clarification on why she tried to sell her luxurious BMW car and said that she never expressed the desire to sell it to fund her training.

Dutee Chand stirred up controversy last week when she put up a post on her Facebook account saying she wants to sell her car. She later deleted the post, but not before it made headlines across the country with many prominent personalities reacting on the issue.

However, Dutee Chand released a statement on Wednesday and said that it is just confusion created by the media, who misinterpreted her use of language. India’s 100m national-record holder remarked, “I took to social media to sell my car. I don’t have the resources to maintain luxury cars, though I love them. I am not able to use the car and it is a spendthrift expense on my part.”

“I never expressed that I am selling it to fund my training. Odisha government and my KIIT University have always supported me. This does not deny the fact that my training is very expensive, especially for the 2021 Olympics. I just wanted to make a point that this money could be diverted to my training and a car can be bought post-COVID, once I receive the money from the state government.”

She added, “I am not complaining. Buying a car can definitely wait. I just did not want to be a burden on KIIT or Odisha government. Not that I live in deprivation or lack of resources, but selling the car could give me breathing space on one hand and not burden the overwhelmed KIIT and the Odisha government, who are all stretched to help in these testing times. Media created confusion by misinterpreting my use of language.”

Dutee Chand also revealed that some people are taking advantage of issues in her family and mixing personal affairs with her professional life. She said, “With folded hands, I want to say that I was neither complaining nor making a show of my lack of finance because I am a daughter of the country and my well-wishers are there to keep me going.”

“The founder of my alma mater, KIIT always supports and encourages talent in all fields. Purnima Hembram, Amiya Mallick and thousands more are the shining examples of his altruism. Why am I only targeted and his help is questioned? People are taking advantage of disturbance in my family and inadvertently bring in personal affairs into my professional life. They are also dragging the state government and my alma mater into such issues, despite knowing that they have anchored me.”

Earlier, Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju said that he already had a discussion with the Indian sprinter and she will let him know if she needs additional help.