The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) has chosen a 12-member team, including nine National champions, for the prestigious event based on a new selection policy that incorporates an evaluation system.
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Manju Rani (48kg), Shiksha Narwal (54kg), and Poonam Poonia (60kg), who are all National champions, have filed a case with the Delhi High Court due to their exclusion from the Indian team for the World Women’s Boxing Championships 2023 in Delhi from March 15 to 31, 2023. The case will be heard on an urgent basis on Tuesday, according to their lawyer, Sandeep Lamba. The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) has chosen a 12-member team, including nine National champions, for the prestigious event based on a new selection policy that incorporates an evaluation system.
The evaluation system takes into account the boxers’ performance during training, including their endurance, strength, and conditioning, as well as their technical and tactical skills during sparring sessions. Bernard Dunne, the high-performance director, Bhaskar Bhatt, the women’s chief coach, and C.A. Kuttappa, the men’s chief coach, evaluated the boxers’ performances over three weeks and awarded points accordingly. The federation picked the athlete who topped the weight category in Boxing for the World Championships.
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However, Manju, Shiksha, and Poonam have scored second in their respective weight categories and have been left out of the team. They scored 564, 573, and 567 points, respectively, behind Nitu Ghanghas (634), Preeti (623), and Jaismine Lamboria (612). Lamba argued that the case is based on the fact that three National champions were left out of the team, despite nine National champions being selected. He also highlighted that Nitu had given a walkover in the Haryana state Boxing championships but had still made it to the National camp soon after. Additionally, Shiksha had beaten Preeti in the National championships, and Poonam had defeated Olympian Simranjit Kaur, who had not participated in the Nationals where Jaismine won.
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Manju, a former World silver medalist, said that they were excluded despite attending training sessions regularly. “Some of the girls missed some of the training sessions but got selected, whereas we never missed any session and were not selected,” she said. Manju and the other boxers had written to the BFI to voice their grievances, but the federation insisted that the evaluation system was fair and that the boxers were informed about it beforehand.
The exclusion of the three Boxing National champions has sparked controversy, and some have criticized the BFI’s evaluation system. The system has come under scrutiny as it appears to prioritize performance in training and sparring sessions over actual competition results. Critics argue that a boxer’s performance in competitions, particularly at the national level, should be the primary criterion for selection to the national team.
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