Dingko Singh airlifted to Delhi for cancer treatment

Asian Games gold-winning boxer Dingko Singh was on Saturday airlifted from Imphal to New Delhi for his cancer treatment.

Dingko's transfer to Delhi by a SpiceJet air ambulance was facilitated by the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) after he missed a scheduled radiation therapy session due to the ongoing coronavirus-forced national lockdown.

The 41-year-old was due to undergo radiation therapy a fortnight back but could not come to Delhi because of the lockdown.

BFI president Ajay Singh, who is also the Chairman and Managing Director of SpiceJet, personally took the initiative to fly out Dingko after learning about his deteriorating health.

"I am to happy share that Dingko, our champion boxer, has reached Delhi and has been taken to hospital for further treatment. SpiceJet is honoured to have provided its air ambulance service to our national hero and fly him to Delhi for his treatment and we wish him a speedy recovery," Singh said.

The decorated boxer was accompanied by his wife Ngangom Babai Devi.

After reaching New Delhi on Saturday evening, Dingko was taken straight to the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) in an ambulance from the airport.

Dingko, an Arjuna and Padma Shri awardee, is battling a relapse of liver cancer. The Manipuri was a swashbuckling bantamweight boxer and won the Asian Games gold in the 1998 edition in Bangkok.