Court asks BFI to provide evaluation forms of National Champion Boxers

The Delhi high court has asked the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) to provide the evaluation forms of three national champion boxers, Manju Rani, Shiksha Narwal, and Poonam Poonia. The boxers filed a petition challenging their omission from the squad for the Women’s World Boxing Championships that will begin on March 15. The court has asked for the evaluation forms which the BFI has to produce on Monday. It has refused to grant interim relief to the boxers. The counsel for the boxers argued that all three were national champions. Whereas, in the other nine categories, national champions have been chosen by the BFI.

What process did the boxers go through for their selection?

However, BFI’s advocates stated that winning gold in nationals is a qualifying criterion. The boxers are evaluated at the national camp based on selection criteria for national camps and world championships 2023. The BFI followed its selection policy, published on its website. There was no biasness during the selection, according to the BFI counsels. The Boxing Federation of India followed the new selection policy to pick the national squad based on the men’s and women’s world championships and the Asian Games. On account of that, Manju (48kg), Shiksha (54kg), and Poonam (60kg) could not make it to the 12-member team.

The boxers went through a evaluation process that lasted for three weeks. In this duration, they were assessed on various parameters. Nine of the 12 national champions emerged number one in the rankings and qualified for the event. Commonwealth Games champion (CWG) Nitu Ghangas (634 points), Preeti (623), and CWG bronze medalist Jaismine Lamboria (612) topped the process ahead of Manju (564), Shiksha (573), and Poonam (567) during the evaluations. The court asked for the evaluation forms, which will help determine if the the BFI has evaluated the boxers fairly and they should be present in the squad.

Read more: Three Indian Boxers file case against the federation

What aspects does the BFI follow for its selection?

The BFI’s selection policy is designed to ensure that the best boxers will compete the country in international competitions. The BFI takes into account factors like technical skills, physical fitness, mental toughness, and overall performance. The Boxing Federation of India is responsible to ensure that the selection process is fair and transparent and that the best boxers will be representing India. The national champions have a high chance of making it to the squad. However, they still need to prove their worth at the national camp. The BFI’s selection policy ensures that the boxers who perform well in the evaluation process make it to the squad, irrespective of their status as national champions. The evaluation process is rigorous. While the BFI assessed the boxers on various parameters to determine their suitability for international competitions.

Read more: Indian Team announced for IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships 2023