Selection controversy strikes Indian boxing ahead of World Championships | Boxing News – Times of India
NEW DELHI: Three leading Indian female boxers, all reigning national champions, Manju Rani, Shiksha Narwal and Poonam Poonia, have threatened to drag the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) to the court over their non-inclusion in the country’s 12-member squad for the upcoming IBA women’s World Boxing Championships, scheduled to be held here from March 15-26.
The trio has questioned the BFI’s selection policy for the Worlds, envisaged in consultation with the boxing’s high-performance director (HPD) Bernard Dunne and the other Indian coaches, where the squad was selected based on the boxers’ performance at a nearly three-week long national camp at NIS Patiala between Jan 20 and Feb 8.
According to the ‘evaluation test’ conducted over a period of three weeks, the national campers were “tested for performance in training to include endurance and S&C in the first week” and “for technical and tactical skills during sparring sessions in second and third weeks”. Based on the test, the campers were ranked in the order of 1-3 and those who topped the ranking chart were selected for the Worlds.
In Manju’s weight category of 48kg, Birmingham CWG gold medallist, Nitu Ghanghas, was selected after she received the highest number of points from Dunne and chief national coaches, Bhaskar Bhatt and CA Kuttappa, for an overall tally of 634 points. Manju, a former World Championships silver medallist, accumulated a total of 564 points and was placed second ahead of the Bhopal Nationals finalist, S Kalaivani (486) from Tamil Nadu. Nitu had failed to qualify for the Nationals after she lost in the first round of the state championships in Hisar, competing in the 50kg representing SAI centre Bhiwani.
Similar stories played out in the 54kg division where Preeti was ranked No.1 boxer ahead of Shiksha, who had secured the gold at the Nationals, and in the 60kg category, which saw Youth World and Asian Championships medallist Poonam losing out to Jaismine Lamboria for a place in the Worlds squad.
Calling out the “injustice” meted out to them, the three boxers have written separate letters to BFI president Ajay Singh, requesting him for their inclusion in the squad. They have given the BFI 48 hours to include their names, failing which the aggrieved boxers will file a writ petition in the Delhi High Court on Monday, demanding suspension of the boxing body.
The trio has questioned the BFI’s selection policy for the Worlds, envisaged in consultation with the boxing’s high-performance director (HPD) Bernard Dunne and the other Indian coaches, where the squad was selected based on the boxers’ performance at a nearly three-week long national camp at NIS Patiala between Jan 20 and Feb 8.
According to the ‘evaluation test’ conducted over a period of three weeks, the national campers were “tested for performance in training to include endurance and S&C in the first week” and “for technical and tactical skills during sparring sessions in second and third weeks”. Based on the test, the campers were ranked in the order of 1-3 and those who topped the ranking chart were selected for the Worlds.
In Manju’s weight category of 48kg, Birmingham CWG gold medallist, Nitu Ghanghas, was selected after she received the highest number of points from Dunne and chief national coaches, Bhaskar Bhatt and CA Kuttappa, for an overall tally of 634 points. Manju, a former World Championships silver medallist, accumulated a total of 564 points and was placed second ahead of the Bhopal Nationals finalist, S Kalaivani (486) from Tamil Nadu. Nitu had failed to qualify for the Nationals after she lost in the first round of the state championships in Hisar, competing in the 50kg representing SAI centre Bhiwani.
Similar stories played out in the 54kg division where Preeti was ranked No.1 boxer ahead of Shiksha, who had secured the gold at the Nationals, and in the 60kg category, which saw Youth World and Asian Championships medallist Poonam losing out to Jaismine Lamboria for a place in the Worlds squad.
Calling out the “injustice” meted out to them, the three boxers have written separate letters to BFI president Ajay Singh, requesting him for their inclusion in the squad. They have given the BFI 48 hours to include their names, failing which the aggrieved boxers will file a writ petition in the Delhi High Court on Monday, demanding suspension of the boxing body.
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