New Delhi: India’s boxing teams will continue to be selected through the evaluation process at the national camp, with selection trials being held only in ‘certain circumstances’ at the discretion of the Boxing Federation of India (BFI), as per the draft selection policy announced for the new season.
The evaluation system—where campers are assessed on various parameters like performance in training, sparring, weight management, attendance, etc.—was introduced by former coach Bernard Dunne, who controversially quit the team after disappointing results in the Paris Olympics qualifiers. Teams for the Olympics qualifiers were selected based on ‘evaluation’ in the elite national camp. His methods, especially the decision to do away with the selection trials, came under criticism from several boxers. Some of them, including two-time Olympian Amit Panghal, went to court against Dunne’s selection policy, though they did not receive any reprieve. India’s six-member boxing team returned without a medal from the Olympics, bringing the preparation and controversies leading up to the Paris Olympics into sharp focus.
Those who had hoped for an overhaul of the selection policy were surprised to find the BFI backing the ‘evaluation system’.
“I was expecting the selection process would change after the Paris Olympics and teams would be picked only on the basis of selection trials, but that is not going to happen. It is disappointing,” 2019 world championships silver medallist Amit Panghal told HT.
As per the selection policy, the Indian teams for the World Boxing Championships in England in September will be selected through an evaluation of boxers in camp over 10-12 days.
“The team will be selected two months before the announced date of the championship through evaluation. Rank 1 in each weight category will go to the World Championship, and Rank 2 will be the reserve in that weight category. This evaluation will run over 10-12 days,” according to the selection policy.
The BFI further states, “For all international tournaments other than the World/Asian Championships, continental/multi-Sport games, the national coaching camp ranking will be followed. Based on certain circumstances, the BFI may choose between selection trials or evaluation, and this decision will be communicated to all stakeholders through the selection criteria for that particular tournament or championship.”
A coach who was at the national camp said the evaluation system tested every parameter of a boxer. “The system was not under scrutiny. The boxers were mostly dissatisfied with Dunne’s training methods,” said the coach.
Search for fresh talent
After the disappointing showing in Paris, the BFI is looking for fresh talent to emerge. National campers will be selected from the National Championships (men) to be held in Bareilly from January 6-13. The women’s Nationals have yet to be announced. Participation in the National Championship has been made mandatory to be part of the elite camp.
In the last few months, the BFI has organized the REC Open Talent Hunt with an eye on new talent. The open competition drew huge participation from across the country in the Greater Noida and Guwahati legs, leading up to the combined national-level finale at the National Boxing Academy in Rohtak. The gold and silver winners from this event will be inducted into the national camp, where they will be evaluated alongside other national campers.
In a new move, the BFI will prune the national campers three times a year, adding new boxers through different domestic events. There is also an option for the selection committee, in consultation with the High Performance Unit, to pick wild card entries for the national camp.
