Finally amateur boxers in the country will heave a sigh of relief as the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the International Boxing Association (AIBA) ad-hoc panel, which is governing the sport in India, have formed a coordination committee to conduct National championships.
The coordination committee, headed by seasoned boxing administrator Asit Banerjee and comprising some zonal representatives, got into business immediately and decided to conduct the National championship for men in Goa from November 16 to 21.
Besides, it picked Tamil Nadu as the top contender to host the National women’s championship at a later date.
These two elite domestic events will help identify boxers for the Olympic qualifying events next year.
The other big event, the National junior championships for men and women, will be held at Kolkata in February to commemorate the first official boxing bout held in the country in the city on Feb. 29, 1884.
Banerjee said the systematic approach would help India conduct domestic events without inviting the AIBA wrath. “We want a disciplined system. The ad-hoc panel will be in the loop and the SAI will provide all facilities, including accommodation, equipment etc. The regular conduct of the domestic events will benefit the boxers,” he said.
Banerjee was hopeful that the present arrangement would eventually clear a major roadblock in conducting the National championships. “Because of the present mess, Railways is not granting any travel concession to the boxers. Since our boxers come from remote parts of the country and hail from humble backgrounds, they need the Railways tickets at a discounted price. The SAI DG (Injeti Srinivas) will speak to the concerned authorities to sort this out.”
Since December 2012, the administrative mess in Indian boxing has affected the sport badly. Banerjee said the committee would make all efforts to ensure that the boxers were not deprived of domestic competitions.