Indian boxing finds itself in a state of inexplicable slumber post the Paris Olympics with the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) skipping major international tournaments, delaying national camps, and repeatedly postponing the women's national championship. (More Sports News)
Senior Indian boxers haven't competed in any international tournament since the Olympics.
The prestigious Strandja Memorial Tournament, set to begin in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Saturday, is the latest high-profile event where Indian boxers will be absent.
India had also skipped the Asian Championship last November, owing to BFI's alignment with the breakaway World Boxing and the ongoing conflict with the IOC-suspended International Boxing Association (IBA).
With no national camp since the Olympics, the athletes have been training at their SAI National Centres of Excellence (NCOEs).
While the BFI hosted the men's national championships last month, the women's nationals, originally scheduled for November-end, have faced repeated postponements, with the latest update setting it for mid-March, though no official reason has been provided.
The men's nationals followed the 10 weight-category structure introduced by World Boxing, whereas the Strandja Memorial Tournament, organised by the European Boxing Confederation (EUBC), will adhere to the old (IBA) weight classes.
"The problem is that weight categories are different," a BFI official told PTI.
"We will start the national camps from March and the women's national championships are also slated for next month." Strandja Memorial is a prestigious event that features high-quality boxers from around the world. Indian boxers have always competed in the event.
"We don't know when the nationals will take place, when the camps will begin," a world championship medal-winning boxer said.
"They keep postponing it again and again without giving any details. Without the nationals, we can't get to the camp. And without the camp, we can't be selected for international tournaments," the boxer added.
The only tournament the female boxers have had since the Paris Olympic cycle ended was the National Games, which the likes of Nikhat Zareen skipped.
"Strandja is a very important tournament in the calendar. We were looking forward to competing there since we haven't participated in any international tournament for over 6-7 months," another boxer added.
Indian boxing is also without a High Performance Director (HPD) since the controversial departure of Bernard Dunne last March.
Although BFI invited applications for a new HPD in July, no appointment has been made yet.
BFI and Asian countries pitching for lighter weight classes
It is learnt that the BFI, along with other Asian nations, is in discussion with World Boxing to reconsider the existing weight classifications.
"Asian nations are pushing for lighter weight classes," a federation official revealed, acknowledging that Asian boxers have traditionally excelled in lighter divisions, whereas European pugilists dominate the heavier weight categories.
