The world of boxing is quite used to controversies. But the latest spat between the international amateur boxing federation AIBA and the Boxing Federation of India certainly appears to be bullying tactics by the former as it struggles to stay relevant.
With professional boxing already cornering much of the glory, amateur fights have been relegated to a status of nurseries. The only highlight that AIBA had under its wings was the Olympic medals every four years. But after repeated warnings and suggestions by the International Olympic Committee were ignored, even that was taken out of its grasp quite along expected lines.
The much-vaunted World Boxing Championships lost a fair mount of sheen when the IOC withdrew its qualifying status. Till the 2016 Rio Olympics, all four medals winners of the previous year's world championships were automatic qualifiers for the quadrennial games. But with AIBA not willing to accept suggestions by IOC, particularly with regards how bouts were adjudicated, it was no surprise that the Olympic bosses chose to drop the bomb.
AIBA insisted on continuing with its closed judging of bouts, quite unlike to very successful experience of the 2008 Beijing Olympics where points earned by each boxer were put on public display outside the arena! AIBA's argument that scores inevitably reached the contestants taking the fight out of the bouts did not really wash with IOC who insisted on transparency.
Not just the Olympic qualifying, IOC also took away the AIBA's right to conduct the competition like other international sports federations. That means IOC would now appoint the ring-side jury members, crucial to closely contested bouts as is expected in Olympics, apart from the ring officials.
That took the wind out of AIBA sails and its prime mover, the world championships was considerably devalued.
Indian boxing officialdom, still struggling to find their feet after the fracas that led to the disbanding of the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF), just found itself in the wrong place at the wrong time. AIBA wants to be tell the world who is Boss and cracking the whip at BFI is its way of doing it. Slapping a half-a-million-dollar fine on top of unclaimed dues takes the total money owed by BFI close to a million dollars! Nearly a third of that is money owed from the 2018 women's world championships in New Delhi.
BFI was still granted the hosting rights to the 2021 men's world championships, which has now been moved to Serbia for non-payment of the first installment of the bidding fees. The fees were due on December 1, 2019, long before the Covid-19 pandemic shut down most of the world. Obviously BFI's explanation about disruption of banking operations is an afterthought. The AIBA world championships no longer carried the same value following the IOC sanction.
Sadly, BFI and AIBA appear to be on collision course which would once again put participation of Indian pugilists in international competitions in jeopardy, as had happened not so long ago. Boxers admit its just not the same feeling fighting under the IOC flag rather than the national symbol!
With a forced suspension of all sporting activities, AIBA and BFI have time to mend fences before things reach breaking point. Already the credibility of amateur boxing has taken a huge hit with the Olympic Games taken out of its purview. About time AIBA got its house in order!
With professional boxing already cornering much of the glory, amateur fights have been relegated to a status of nurseries. The only highlight that AIBA had under its wings was the Olympic medals every four years. But after repeated warnings and suggestions by the International Olympic Committee were ignored, even that was taken out of its grasp quite along expected lines.
The much-vaunted World Boxing Championships lost a fair mount of sheen when the IOC withdrew its qualifying status. Till the 2016 Rio Olympics, all four medals winners of the previous year's world championships were automatic qualifiers for the quadrennial games. But with AIBA not willing to accept suggestions by IOC, particularly with regards how bouts were adjudicated, it was no surprise that the Olympic bosses chose to drop the bomb.
AIBA insisted on continuing with its closed judging of bouts, quite unlike to very successful experience of the 2008 Beijing Olympics where points earned by each boxer were put on public display outside the arena! AIBA's argument that scores inevitably reached the contestants taking the fight out of the bouts did not really wash with IOC who insisted on transparency.
Not just the Olympic qualifying, IOC also took away the AIBA's right to conduct the competition like other international sports federations. That means IOC would now appoint the ring-side jury members, crucial to closely contested bouts as is expected in Olympics, apart from the ring officials.
That took the wind out of AIBA sails and its prime mover, the world championships was considerably devalued.
Indian boxing officialdom, still struggling to find their feet after the fracas that led to the disbanding of the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF), just found itself in the wrong place at the wrong time. AIBA wants to be tell the world who is Boss and cracking the whip at BFI is its way of doing it. Slapping a half-a-million-dollar fine on top of unclaimed dues takes the total money owed by BFI close to a million dollars! Nearly a third of that is money owed from the 2018 women's world championships in New Delhi.
BFI was still granted the hosting rights to the 2021 men's world championships, which has now been moved to Serbia for non-payment of the first installment of the bidding fees. The fees were due on December 1, 2019, long before the Covid-19 pandemic shut down most of the world. Obviously BFI's explanation about disruption of banking operations is an afterthought. The AIBA world championships no longer carried the same value following the IOC sanction.
Sadly, BFI and AIBA appear to be on collision course which would once again put participation of Indian pugilists in international competitions in jeopardy, as had happened not so long ago. Boxers admit its just not the same feeling fighting under the IOC flag rather than the national symbol!
With a forced suspension of all sporting activities, AIBA and BFI have time to mend fences before things reach breaking point. Already the credibility of amateur boxing has taken a huge hit with the Olympic Games taken out of its purview. About time AIBA got its house in order!
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