Boxing Federation of India to decide future plans for male boxers after disappointment in Asian Games
The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) will plan on the remaining Olympic qualifier events in the upcoming week. Only two more events remain to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Four Indian women boxers secured quota for the quadrennial event after winning medals at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou. Nikhat Zareen (Women's 50kg), Preeti Pawar (Women's 54kg), Parveen Hooda (Women's 54kg) and Lovlina Borgohain (Women's 75kg) are the four boxers from India who have already booked their spots.
Surprisingly, there was no quota availed by the men pugilists, even though Narendar Berwal won bronze medal in the +92kg men's event, because only the gold and silver medallists earned the ticket to Paris.
Deepak Bhoria (men’s 51kg), Sachin Siwach (men’s 57kg), Shiva Thapa (men’s 63.5kg), Nishant Dev (men’s 71kg), Lakshya Chahar (men’s 80kg) and Sanjeet (men’s 92kg) didn't succeed in their respective categories in the continental showpiece.
Young Boxers to compete in upcoming National Championships
The next qualification event for boxing is the World Qualification Tournament, which is scheduled between February 29 to March 12 next year in Busto Arsizio, Italy.
According to a report by news agency PTI, the Bernard Dunne-led high performance unit has put forward a few proposals, including the addition of 2022 Men's World Youth Championships medallists to the senior national camp.
"The HPD has sent a few proposals. We will be conducting a meeting in the coming week where we will discuss all of them. Those youth boxers who won medals last year are in the senior category now," a BFI official told PTI.
"They will have to compete and perform at the upcoming Nationals to enter the camp because it has been a year since their performance at the Worlds. We need to see and evaluate their performance now and that will happen at the Nationals."
The men's senior National Championship (boxing) will start on November 25 in Shillong. The top three boxers in each weight category at Senior National Championships will make the cut to the national camp.