CHENNAI: The Boxing Federation of India (BFI), the governing body of the sport, had recently said that they’ll be handing short-term contracts to foreign coaches. It is learnt that that proposal has not gone down well with Raffaele Bergamasco, who is the high-performance director of the India women’s boxing team.“The federation has decided that the coaches will be there at least till the World Championships for now. During that period, we’ll conduct a review meeting and we’ll finalise their future,” Hemanta Kalita, BFI secretary general, had told this daily recently.
Though the contract is yet to be formally put forward, this daily has learnt that the Italian coach is disappointed with the aforementioned proposal, the tenure of the contract and is reportedly seeking more clarity on the same. Bergamasco’s current contract is set to end on September 30 and given his track record, a long-term deal was expected to be offered.
With Bergmasco in the forefront, India women’s boxing has witnessed many highs. Under his mentorship, youth boxers had dazzled in front of the home crowd in Guwahati in 2017, winning five gold medals, two bronze during the AIBA Youth Women’s World Boxing Championships. That performance had certainly left a real buzz, and there was a genuine rise in belief among youngsters and everyone associated with the sport.
After that noteworthy output, Bergamasco was elevated to the senior women’s team. The very next year, under his watch, MC Mary Kom made history during the World Championships by winning a record sixth gold medal. More importantly, it was a breakthrough occasion for someone like Lovlina Borgohain, who then showed that she belonged at the elite level by grabbing the bronze medal. The rest, as we know, is history.The AIBA Women’s World Championships is due to be held later this year. The exact date and venue is yet to be decided.