CHENNAI: The path ahead is foggy but the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) has come up with proposals to get some competitive action for boxers by September or October if the coronavirus pandemic subsides.
The national boxing governing body is hopeful of conducting nationals by October at least and then host an international camp, where there will be small competitions, by this December or next January.
It is learnt that the BFI has been in constant touch with the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and this proposal was discussed in the recent Zoom meeting with sports minister Kiren Rijiju. Indian boxing’s high-performance director Santiago Nieva, who’s been an active figure conducting online classes, is hopeful that luck favours them.
“Big international tournaments are out of the picture. So what we want to do is invite two-three countries, like we did last time before the Olympic qualifiers (Amman) and we want to have a camp and smaller competitions. If we are lucky, we can have it by the end of the year,” Nieva told this newspaper.
India had hosted Italy and Australia before the Asia/Oceania Olympic qualifiers in January. The Indian pugilists had undergone joint training sessions with rivals from those nations in the Inspire Institute of Sports (IIS), Vijayanagar. The camp that BFI is aspiring for will be somewhat similar to that. This is being aimed for with the Olympics — that was pushed back to 2021 — in mind.
“We don’t want to depend on any other country. We can’t go anywhere else, we’ll try to conduct something here. But obviously it depends on many factors. The situation in India then and if it’s practically possible from our side. We also have to see if other countries are willing to come here and participate,” Nieva noted.
The key objective of hosting the nationals in October is to make sure MC Mary Kom & Co get some much-needed exposure before the 2020 Asian Boxing Championships which India is due to host in November or December. Before the nationals, the state championships could be conducted either in September or early October. “We have to stay positive and hope that things will become better,” Nieva remarked.
At present, the focus of all the boxers has been on fitness, both mental and physical. Most of them have been engaged in basic exercises at their respective homes and are looking to stay in shape before the national camp resumes. Nieva knows patience is the key in this hour of uncertainty.
“All the boys and girls have been doing well and we are trying our best to support them. But obviously, we would like to start the camp soon and go back to normal. We understand that we have to follow the protocols and start slowly. It will not be the same as we used to. So it might take some time for competitions and so on,” he said.