IBF notifies state units of Natl meet

 Terminated and humiliated they might be, but officials of the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation are planning to conduct the National Championships for youth (men) and senior women even as the International Boxing Association made it clear that such a
The faction, which is led by former President Abhay Singh Chautala, is notifying various state units of the Youth (men’s) National Championship in Hyderabad from May 18 to 23 and the fifth senior Women’s National Championships in New Delhi from May 8 to 11.

Interestingly, the Women’s Nationals have been declared as the selection trials for the Commonwealth Games scheduled from July 23 to August 3 in Glasgow.

But the AIBA has made it clear that the events will have no sanctity given that the country’s membership has been terminated. “AIBA will not recognise any national competition held in India at present since it does not recognise any governing body for the sport of boxing in the country,” said AIBA’s PR and Communication Director Sebastien Gillot.

The faction led by Chautala, who currently heads the Haryana State Boxing Association, is also planning to hold a conclave in Delhi on march 24 to discuss the current crisis.

Earlier, furious with the logjam in the IABF, the AIBA terminated the IBF from its fold stating that the current set of office-bearers are “damaging the image, reputation and interest” of the sport.  The world body has now invited direct applications from “any group of people with passion and love for our sport” for the establishment of a new National Federation.

IBF was suspended in December 2012 and was instructed to hold a fresh election as the world body felt that the polls held back then, in September, were possibly manipulated. But officials running the Indian body turned a deaf ear to repeated warnings.