Indian boxing has descended into administrative turmoil in a year where the focus should have been on preparing for two major multisport events - the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. Instead, the sport now finds itself trapped in a bitter confrontation between the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Boxing Federation of India (BFI), leaving the country’s boxers staring at uncertainty, confusion, and emotional exhaustion.
The latest flashpoint came on Sunday, May 10, whenSAI directed the BFI not to proceed with the selection trials- initially scheduled from May 11 to 15 and later curtailed to May 11-13 at the NIS Patiala - for the final squad selection “till further orders”, citing concerns over transparency, fairness, and the evaluation mechanism planned by the federation.
A source close to the development squarely blamed BFI president Ajay Singh for the current mess and alleged that the federation’s functioning had deteriorated sharply over the years.
"They called the selection trial purely to favour certain people and to sideline certain boxers that they don't like. You are not protecting meritorious boxers, but you are guarding somebody's interest," a source privy to the development told Sports Now on condition of anonymity.
Another major concern raised was the increasing burden on boxers, who are often asked to repeatedly prove themselves in domestic structures despite international performances.
"BFI needs to protect the top athletes from tiring out. So, if you ask a boxer to participate in trials right after an event, he will be tired," the source said.
The criticism also widened to the overall decline in domestic boxing structures.
"The tournament calendar is missing. The tournaments are not happening on time. It has been five years, there is no sub-junior national championship held. Are we in some poor country in Africa? Who is responsible for that? If not the president of the boxing federation, then who? Somebody has to take the responsibility. If he is not responsible, then the Government of India's sports minister is responsible. They are allowing things to go wrong," he said.
In the previous Olympic cycle , the BFI was dormant in terms of holding camps and competitions. The result - India failed to win a medal in boxing at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Asked why the SAI intervened, the source said, "SAI is funding everything. Coaches are being funded by SAI. The long-term development plan and the annual calendar are governed by SAI. And if it is not done by the Federation as per SAI norms, why will SAI help? If you don't want to listen, you don't take money and run a body like BCCI. You can do whatever you want," he said.
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
