Boxing
IOA forms ad-hoc committee to govern boxing in India
Five member committee led by Madhukant Pathak to oversee day-to-day administration of boxing operations.
Nikhat Zareen (Photo credit: SAI Media)
New Delhi: The Indian Olympic Association (IOA), on Monday, constituted a five-member ad-hoc committee, led by Madhukant Pathak, to oversee the affairs of the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) until the conduct of free and fair elections.
The IOA, in a letter dated February 24 which is in possession of The Bridge, states, “The committee shall take immediate steps to address grievances raised by the boxing community, facilitate athlete's participation in upcoming international competitions and work towards conducting the IBF elections at the earliest.”
The ad-hoc committee includes Rajesh Bhandari (vice chairman), DP Bhatt, Shiva Thapa and Virendra Singh Thakur as other members.
The tenure of the Ajay Singh-led Boxing Federation of India expired on February 2.
In a letter dated February 6, the BFI secretary general Hemanta Kumar Kalita informed the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) of holding a special general body meeting where date and other modalities of the elections will be deliberated and finalised.
By then, the tenure of BFI had already expired and according to the constitution Kalita had no authority to convene a special general meeting.
The IOA has stressed on immediate corrective measures and reacted to a number of complaints from athletes, coaches and concerned authorities regarding non-participation of Indian boxers in various important national and international events in recent months.
“The IOA has been closely monitoring the administrative affairs of the BFI. As per the governing norms, elections of BFI were to be conducted on or before 2 February. However, despite the prescribed timeline, the elections have not been held, resulting in administrative instability within the federation,” the IOA letter states.
Indian boxers have also missed out on the prestigious Strandja Memorial, which started on Monday in Sofia, Bulgaria due to the ongoing issues.
Reacting strongly and expressing sadness, one of the founders of the BFI, Jay Kowli told The Bridge, “This is the federation I founded in 2016 getting everyone along, I wanted this federation to run smoothly. Once again boxing is in turmoil. It is sad. My priority would be to organise competitions immediately and look for quick solutions to avoid further damage.” Kowli was elected the first secretary general of the BFI.
Boxing is undergoing a constitutional crisis world over with the International Boxing Association (IBA) facing suspension from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after the international governing body failed to address concerns about governance, finances, and corruption.
A new body by the name of World Boxing has emerged over the last year with the BFI pledging their loyalties to them.
