This piece was published in Sportskeeda
A cloud of uncertainty looms over the senior men's National Boxing Championships, which is slated to be held in Mumbai in the second week of November. According to Boxing India (BI) sources, the fate of the Senior Men's National Boxing Championships is gripped by uncertainty given the fact that the International Boxing Association (AIBA) and the sports ministry are yet to grant it full recognition.
It is not clear whether Boxing India wants to postpone the nationals for an indefinite period. It’s possible that Boxing India may not be fully equipped to hold the nationals in a span of one month after successfully hosting the senior women’s National Boxing Championship in Raipur, where top boxers like MC Mary Kom and Laishram Sarita Devi were given special permission to skip the event owing to their hectic international schedule.
What needs to be understood is here that Boxing India (BI) secured provisional recognition from AIBA recently, which allowed Indian pugilists to play in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the Incheon Asian Games. It may be pointed that the Senior National Women’s Boxing Championship in Raipur was the first event conducted by Boxing India. In normal course of events, a boxing federation receives financial support from the Sports Ministry and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) for hosting the nationals, but with Boxing India yet to obtain government recognition, any kind of financial assistance is out of the question.
The fact that Boxing India is a new body and just don’t have the financial muscle to host another nationals on its own sans government support. The timing of the Senior Men's National Boxing Championships could also be a factor in seeking sponsors for the same. Boxing India did spent a lot of money without any government support or sponsors for the smooth conduct of the Senior National Women’s Boxing Championship in Raipur and clearly one cannot expect them to plough a lone furrow all the time.
It remains to be what will be the next course of action from Boxing India. Indian boxers will be more than keen to punch to glory given that they have been starved of competitive action on the domestic circuit over the past few years because of the AIBA’S ban on the Indian boxing federation. Now that the AIBA has accorded them provisional recognition, Indian pugilists will be excited about sharpening their skills at the domestic level.
The writer can be contacted at: suhridbarua@gmail.com
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