CHENNAI: Indian boxing seems to be in soup at the moment. In a dramatic turn of events, the Indian Olympic Association formed a five-member ad-hoc committee on Monday to run the day-to-day affairs of the Boxing Federation of India (BFI). The IOA, in a letter to all the stakeholders, alleged administrative issues surrounding BFI and said that the boxing federation's inability to hold elections on time compelled them to take this extreme step.
Responding to this development, the BFI said this move is against the constitution of the IOA itself and PT Usha, as the president of the organisation, cannot form an ad-hoc committee without the approval of the executive committee. Additionally, they are set to challenge the decision in court. As things stand, the IOA is divided between two warring factions — Usha on one side and some eight to ten executive members on the other. Whether or not IOA's ad-hoc committee can continue also depends on other factors like the sports ministry and its recognition. As of now, the sports ministry has not reacted to this.
Interestingly, the sports ministry has not spoken about de-affiliation which means the funding and other support will not stop.
Going by the IOA letter, Madukant Pathak has been named the chairman of the aforementioned committee while Rajesh Bhandari has been appointed as vice chairman. Virendra Singh Thakur, Shiva Thapa and DP Bhatt are the other members. "The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has been closely monitoring the administrative affairs of the Boxing Federation of India (BFI). As per the governing norms, elections to the IBF were to be conducted on or before 02 February 2025. However, despite the prescribed timeline, the elections have not been held, resulting in administrative instability within the federation," the letter read.
Bhandari is a former secretary of Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF). He has been part of the BFI dispensation as well. It is understood that the BFI secretary and treasurer are not on the same page as the BFI president. A BFI official even alleged that there is some kind of an enquiry going on against the secretary.
Moreover, the IOA, in the same letter, also stated that it has received several complaints from stakeholders. "Furthermore, this office has received numerous complaints from stakeholders, including athletes, coaches, and concerned authorities, regarding the non-participation of Indian boxers in various important National/International events in recent months. This situation is detrimental to the growth and performance of Indian boxing on the global stage and necessitates immediate corrective measures."
With barely any competitions, boxing is one of the sports in the country that has been fairly quiet since the Paris Games. The men's national meet was held in early January in Bareilly (UP). However, the women's equivalent, which was supposed to be held from February 21 to 28 in Lucknow was recently postponed to mid-March 2025. Some of the boxers including Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain had participated in the National Games in Uttarakhand. In October and November last year, youth boxers (both men and women) had participated at the U19 World Boxing Championships that was held in the USA.
BFI says IOA move is unconstitutional
BFI officials pointed out that the term of the federation was until February 2 and they were in talks with the ministry seeking extension. More than that, the IOA's de-recognition did not matter much for them because they have affiliation with their international federation (the newly-formed World Boxing) and the sports ministry. The boxing body felt Usha had acted unilaterally and in a democracy this is not the right way to do so.
The officials also claimed that the IOA has flouted their own constitution. The federation said that IOA has no control over NSF's elections. There has been no notice served or natural justice followed. One senior official said that they were not given a chance to explain.
The BFI also said in a statement that this is in violation because the IOA did not find it necessary to enquire about the issue with the BFI office or its president before taking such a decision. "As per Article 21.5 of the constitution of the IOA, no decision pertaining to a NSFs can be made without prior consultation with the parent International Federation, and approval of the IOA Executive Committee. Considering the NSF’s autonomous status, neither of it was done," said the statement. "The IOA has no jurisdiction over the conduct of elections for a NSFs, yet this order has been issued in a manner that clearly questions its intent."
Rift within the boxing body
It is understood that this was on the expected lines. Some of the BFI members were not happy that the elections were not being announced. During the National Games in Uttarakhand, more than 20 members had requisitioned a meeting on March 9 in Guwahati. The members said that since the tenure of the BFI will end on February 2, decisions taken thereafter cannot be considered official which would lead to unnecessary complications. Some of the senior members like secretary and treasurer said that the election dates can be fixed and a seven-member committee was formed. As things stand, the BFI seems to be divided. BFI president, Ajay Singh, seems to have been alienated by the members which is not a good sign because if he is seeking another term — which will be his last — he needs 2/3 majority.
As pointed out earlier, IOA had received numerous complaints from stakeholders. Interestingly, the secretary and treasurer were part of the decision-making body. In fact, the secretary manages the day-to-day affairs. Some members pointed out that since Singh doesn't have the numbers, he was not calling for elections. But his supporters said that the elections would have been held in March. As of now, there are quite a few names doing rounds for the president's post.