Hoping for better days ahead

India’s boxing fraternity is hoping that some sanity will return to its administration, after its elections at the Sachin Tendulkar Gymkhana, Kandivali, on Sunday, so that the National championship and other major events could be conducted every year.

This will put boxing administration back on track after four years.

SpiceJet chairman Ajay Singh and Delhi Boxing Association’s Rohit Jain are in the fray for the post of president, while Maharashtra’s Jay Kowli, Goa’s Lenny D’Gama and Haryana’s Rakesh Thakran have filed their nominations for the post of secretary.

From 2012 onwards, the officials have been fighting as a result of which boxers have suffered and even missed some international events.

How it all started

The decline started when the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) was suspended by the AIBA at its 2012 elections.

Thereafter, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) formed an ad hoc committee to conduct the South Asian Games.

Things really went out of control when the IOA refused to recognise the BFI formed — with Sandeep Jajodia as President and Kowli secretary — at an election in Mumbai two years ago.

Exasperated by the events, the AIBA formed an ad hoc committee to administer the sport in India.

“The BFI initiative has been taken by three bodies; the AIBA ad hoc committee, the Coordination Board (boxing family) and the DGSAI.

“All three felt that it was time India had a legal entity to run the sport in the country. We are hoping for the best,’’ said a boxing official, quite familiar with the happenings on the Indian boxing scene. The elections will be overseen by Justice D.K. Deshmukh.

The IOA – which has been advised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to take note of the elections and also nominate its observer — has, until Saturday evening, not informed the BFI about its decision to nominate an observer.

A boxing official, though, revealed that a senior office bearer of the IOA and a well-known athletics administrator are backing Ajay Singh who has been proposed by Uttarakhand and seconded by Rajasthan.