The Boxing Federation of India, which early last month won a stay from the Delhi High Court against an order issued by the Indian Olympic Association that had replaced the BFI with an ad-hoc committee, will be overseen by an interim committee formed by World Boxing.
Per IANS, the committee was set up “following requests from Indian boxing stakeholders outlining concerns regarding the governance of the national body”.
In its letter to BFI president Ajay Singh, dated April 7, and accessed by the newswire, World Boxing mentioned that it had “received requests from Indian boxing stakeholders seeking stability in Indian boxing and the need for an interim framework that aligns with the statutes and vision” of the global body that now has official sanction of the International Olympic Committee.
Interestingly, the interim committee is headed by Ajay Singh himself, and includes BFI vice president Narender Kumar Nirwan, BFI executive director Arun Malik, and Olympian L. Sarita Devi. One nominee of the IOA will be nominated in consultation with the IOA president PT Usha.
Fairuz, president of the Singapore Boxing Association, will serve as a representative from World Boxing as an observer “to observe and validate the work of the committee”, IANS further reports.
The committee has be formed with “immediate effect for a period not exceeding 90 days”. Put simply, the BFI has constituted an interim committee made up of members currently running the national body, to oversee the very same national body.
Meanwhile, the letter to BFI, signed by World Boxing president Boris van der Vorst, reads: “This interim committee is being formed to provide administrative continuity and safeguard the rights and interests of Indian boxers until elections are held and a new democratic executive committee is elected.
“World Boxing will work with the interim committee for operational and governance matters pertaining to India and shall extend its support and oversight during the transitional phase. We hope that the situation in Indian boxing can improve quickly with the necessary measures and that India remains a strong partner of World Boxing in the future.”
Per IANS, World Boxing has given BFI’s interim committee 30 days to submit its first report, “outlining the steps taken, processes adopted, and the roadmap ahead”.
