JOIN USBoxing India held its scheduled executive council meeting here on Wednesday despite world body AIBA appointing a five-member ad-hoc committee to run the sports in the country.
The AIBA’s decision, which was announced on Tuesday, seemed to have thrown the Indian boxing into a new chaos. The development is a setback to Boxing India faction which last month passed a no-confidence motion against its president Sandeep Jajodia and general-secretary Jay Kowli.
Kowli, interestingly, is part of the AIBA ad-hoc committee which would also have AIBA representative Kishen Narsi as the chairman apart from former IOA secretary-general Randhir Singh, Sports Authority of India (SAI) Director General Injeti Srinivas and former tennis player Manisha Malhotra who was the chairman of AIBA’s women commission.
“We want Indian boxers to qualify for the Olympics. The boxers cannot be neglected any longer, they are genuine medal contenders for India at the Olympics. AIBA had made this ad-hoc committee keeping in mind the interest of the Indian boxers. With Olympic qualification rounds coming near, it is important that things are sorted out. It has been three years that Indian boxing is in jeopardy,” Randhir, who has also been appointed as the advisor to the committee told Deccan Herald.
Regardless, BI decided to go ahead with its executive council meeting which was chaired by its acting president Meren Paul. The BI meeting was supposed to chart out their next course of action vis-a-vis election of a new president and secretary. But the AIBA missive has thrown a spanner in their work.
“The post of BI president and secretary-general has been lying vacant. We will be writing to AIBA for the date of the elections tomorrow and hold elections in next 45 days. Also, we have decided to organise championships in senior, junior, sub-junior categories from August till 2016 January. We will also be holding a meeting to decide on AIBA’s ad-hoc committee,” said a BI official.
The IOA, too, is contemplating to take up the matter with Indian Olympic Association at the behest of BI. Narsi, meanwhile, echoed Randhir’s sentiments. “The focus of the ad-hoc committee would be to look after the development of Indian boxers and their participation in forthcoming Asian Boxing championships. We may also look into the fresh elections by making nomination if we could find a suitable party with the right interest in Indian boxing,” Narsi said.