Greater Noida: The Elite National Boxing Championships here draws to a close but there was no end to the misery of the boxers. On a freezing winter night, several teams reported that they have been asked to vacate their rooms and shift to another accommodation at the Gautam Buddha University, venue of the tournament. Some coaches and team managers told HT that the hostels and lodges where they were originally put up refused to extend their stay as the organisers had not paid rent.
“It is a very unpleasant situation. We are moving with our luggage in the middle of the night. Is this the way to organise a National Championships,” said a state team coach.
Another team manager said they have left the official accommodation and rented another place. “We were two officials and we were asked to vacate. I have rented a room nearby. The boxers too are shifting to some other place. There were many teams in the hostel we were staying and all of them have been asked to leave,” he said.
BFI said in a statement: “Immediate steps have been taken to ensure that the affected athletes have been accommodated at the nearest facility at GB University where suitable sleeping arrangements have been made for the night.”
A BFI official told HT on condition of anonymity that while Sports Authority of India (SAI) has sanctioned ₹30 lakh for the conduct of the tournament and ₹22.50 lakh was to be paid as advance, the money hasn’t been released yet. This has led to issues in boarding and lodging of teams, the official said.
HT reported on Friday that several state teams were asked to vacate their rooms in hostels and lodges. Around 600 boxers were competing in the nationals, which features men and women for the first time. While only the finals are scheduled for Saturday, many boxers who made it to the podium are still there and will be collecting their medals.
The Boxing Nationals has faced organisational hurdles from the opening day when a delay in erecting the rings led to a four-hour delay in starting the bouts. Teams have also been complaining about poor accommodation, food and logistics.
