Olympian Sandeep Sejwal suspended over allegations of abuse; denies claims

The Odisha Sports and Youth Services Department has suspended Olympian swimmer Sandeep Sejwal from his role as head coach of the High Performance Swimming Centre at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar, following allegations of verbal and physical abuse by young swimmers.

Sejwal, a 2008 Beijing Olympian and a 2014 Asian Games bronze medallist, was leading the JSW-IIS swimming program when multiple swimmers reportedly accused him of misconduct, including physical intimidation, sexist language, and threats of expulsion, as per reports.

As per reports, some swimmers alleged that he humiliated students from underprivileged backgrounds and resorted to physical violence.

As per a video that is being circulated on social media platforms, on Saturday night, young swimmers at the sports hostel staged a protest, refusing to eat dinner until their grievances were addressed.

“We are constantly threatened with expulsion if we speak out," said one of the complainants during an interaction with the media. "The coach verbally abuses us, physically intimidates trainees, and punishes us unfairly,” he added.

Students also accused Sejwal of making false complaints about them to their families.

“He called my home and told my parents I had misbehaved. When I asked for proof, he got furious and threatened to throw me out,” said another athlete in the same video that is being circulated.

Sejwal acknowledges inquiry

Sejwal, an Arjuna awardee, acknowledged the development.

“The committee is already investigating the allegations," Sejwal told The Bridge.

"I would not like to make any further comments,” he added.

The Bridge has learnt that the JSW and the Odisha government officials are likely to meet on Monday to investigate the matter.

The swimmers training under Sejwal have recently won accolades for the state at the 2025 National Games in Uttarakhand. Odisha got their first swimming gold at the National games in the 4x100 medley relay under the tutelage of Sejwal.

They also won 5 bronze medals in individual events.

Sejwal joined JSW in 2022.

A source close to the developments shed light on the situation, suggesting that some swimmers had a history of skipping training and resisting discipline.

According to the source, Sejwal would encourage them to attend practice and sometimes reprimand them as any coach would.

However, every time the coaching staff enforced a strict regime or imposed stringent discipline, the trainees escalated to higher authorities.

Further, the source highlighted the presence of multiple CCTV cameras around the pool area as measures enforced to document trainee-coach interactions while adding that this could well be a case of a high-performance coach demanding the best from his wards.

Sejwal remains suspended pending investigation.