New Delhi: The selection of the boxing team for the Asian Championships has come under fresh scanner with another boxer Neeraj Phogat alleging “manipulation and favouritism” in the evaluation process to pick the team.
Jyoti Gulia has also complained to SAI regarding the selection process in the 51kg weight class. Two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen topped the assessment in the camp and was selected in the weight class.
Neeraj, who competed at the women’s world championships last year and won bronze at the World Boxing Cup Finals, finished 5th in the evaluation process and could not progress to the next round. The 65kg weight class boxer has written a strongly worded letter to the Sports Authority of India, calling for a “review of the evaluation process and to reinstate open trials to select India teams.”
In 65kg Assam’s Ankushita Boro has made the cut. There were six boxers in the weight category. The boxers ranked 3rd through 6th were evaluated first, and a round-robin sparring (trial) took place. Two boxers from this group proceeded to the next stage of evaluation with the top two.
“While certain procedures may appear compliant with BFI guidelines on paper, in practice, there is evident favouritism, manipulation, and misuse of authority. Policies are being drafted and implemented in a manner that disproportionately benefits certain preferred boxers, particularly from the Services team, thereby compromising transparency and fairness in the selection process,” Neeraj wrote in her complaint to SAI. A copy of the letter is with HT.
She said that results are not declared immediately after bouts. “…points are credited later without transparency, allowing scope for manipulation. While it appears systematic on paper, in reality, it undermines merit-based selection,” she said.
“Such processes are deeply demoralising for athletes who train tirelessly to represent the nation on merit. If such biased systems continue, it will discourage young and upcoming boxers from pursuing the sport in India.”
She has also given instances of anomalies in the selection process in the World Boxing Cup Finals and bias in giving wild card entries for the National Championships.
Neeraj has called for an impartial inquiry into the irregularities. She has asked for a high-level independent committee to investigate the selection procedures, review and revoke the current “evaluation process” and reinstate transparent open trials.
The assessment of campers was held from February 18-27. They are evaluated on various parameters like strength and conditioning tests, sparring sessions (trial bouts), health management, and attendance at the national camp. Maximum weightage is given to trials, which take place in round-robin format.
One of the main grievances of the boxers is that the results of the trial bouts are not declared immediately after the bout and points are marked in their evaluation. They were informed about their rankings on Friday at the end of the process. On Monday, BFI issued a consolidated sheet of rankings that shows the marks boxers received from the three evaluators. “There is no breakdown of the points we have got in each test and in the trials,” said another boxer.
The assessment process to select India teams was introduced by former HPD Bernard Dunne in 2023. Santiago Nieva has joined the women’s team as head coach and this is the first time the team is selected under him. BFI has defended the evaluation process saying it has been giving them results as the best boxers are being picked.
