Uncertainty surrounds boxing teams’ participation in Asian meet

NEW DELHI: Uncertainty has shrouded the Indian pugilists’ participation in the upcoming ASBC Asian elite men’s and women’s boxing championships in Amman, Jordan. The reason is the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) diktat to all its affiliated National Olympic Committees (NOCs) that any association of their national federations with the suspended International Boxing Association (IBA) would result in the country’s non-participation in boxing events.
The Boxing Federation of India (BFI), despite joining the Switzerland-based breakaway body World Boxing (WB) in May this year, hasn’t severed all its ties with IBA. The boxing federation – headed by SpiceJet chairman Ajay Singh – doesn’t want to deprive the country’s boxers from competing in future IBA-sanctioned events till the time World Boxing puts a proper organisational structure in place and wins over IOC’s trust to become the sole governing body for the sport globally.
It is BFI’s continued allegiance to IBA which has now put a spanner in the federation’s plans to send the team to the Asian championships, scheduled from Nov 28 to Dec 12. Asian Boxing Confederation (ASBC) is still affiliated to IBA, led by Russian Umar Kremlev. IBA’s lack of financial transparency led to IOC withdrawing its recognition in 2023 and subsequently suspending it.
The Asian meet has the IBA’s recognition, and its entire team of referees, judges and technical support staff will be in Amman for the conduct of the tournament. Any IOC-affiliated NOC and its member national federation will be banned from participating in future competitions if it sends the contingent for the event.
“We are in two minds whether to send the team or not. Competing in the meet means inviting the IOC’s wrath. It’s a prestigious event where the top boxers from the world are expected to participate. BFI also wants to send its full-strength team of boxers. But we are unsure about participation given the given situation. The last date to send the entries is Oct 20 when the registrations will close. We will be writing to the IOC for more clarity. As of now, the Indian team’s participation looks difficult,” a BFI source told TOI.