Odisha Suspends Olympian Swimmer As Head Coach, Forms Inquiry Panel To Probe Abuse Allegations

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has constituted an inquiry committee to probe the physical and mental abuse allegations of inmates of High Performance Swimming Centre at Kalinga Stadium here.

The committee, comprising Ashok Kumar Panda (Additional Secretary), Amit Kumar Nayak (Deputy Secretary), Sonali Chand (OSD), and Rupanwita Panda (Under Secretary), has been directed to submit a factual report at the earliest, a statement from Sports and Youth Services Department said.

The officials are likely to meet on Monday to investigate the matter.

The department has also suspended Sandeep Sejwal from his position as head coach of JSW-IIS swimming programme till the departmental probe is over. The 35-year-old swimmer is a 2008 Beijing Olympics participant and 2014 Asian Games bronze medallist.

The Allegations

This followed a protest by inmates of the sports hostel at the centre on Saturday night, threatening to boycott dinner if their complaints were not addressed. They accused Sejwal of mocking students from underprivileged backgrounds, using sexist slurs and physical intimidation. They further alleged he sidelined high-performing swimmers and threatened to throw them out of the hostel. “Students who perform well in the hostel are removed from the group, and then the coaches meet them personally and physically assault them for no reason. The support staff also uses extremely foul language,” a swimmer told the media.

Sejwal’s Response

“The committee is already investigating the allegations. I would not like to make any further comments,” Sejwal, an Arjuna awardee, told the Bridge has learnt that the JSW.

 Around 50 young swimmers from various districts of Odisha receive training at the centre built in 2022.

Odisha got their first swimming gold at the National games in the 4×100 medley relay under the tutelage of Sejwal. They also won 5 bronze medals in individual events at the 2025 National Games in Uttarakhand, the report added.