The administrative wrangling in the suspended Indian Boxing Federation could end up costing the country’s boxers a chance to compete in this year’s World Championships.
The trials for the event were scheduled to be held on August 16 and 17 in Patiala but have been postponed till the end of this month with neither the boxers nor the coaches having any clue about the reasons.
“We have just been told that the trials would now be held at the end of this month and nothing more. We have not been given any reason as to why the trials have been delayed,” a boxer said.
It is learnt that the IBF plans to hold trials after the much-anticipated August 25 meeting between the International Olympic Committee and the Indian Olympic Association to discuss the country’s suspension.
But that will leave very little time for the team to be finalised as the last date for submission of entries for the October 11 to 27 Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan, is September 1.
The IOA-IOC meeting would be watched keenly by the IBF as the International Boxing Association has cited India’s Olympic suspension as the primary reason for provisionally barring the IBF.
Even though putting together a team after the IOA-IOC meeting, if at all it brings some good news for the IBF, will not be much of a hassle, the apprehension is that the Aiba could altogether shunt India out of the World Championships due to the IBF’s failure to conduct a re-election.