Rift between coaches, women boxers impacts national camp
NEW DELHI: A discord between coaches and the country's leading women boxers has disrupted practice sessions at the ongoing national camp at NIS, Patiala. The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) is working on borrowed time, having exceeded its electoral timeline after failing to finish the process within the required period.
Consequently, the ministry suspended direct funding to the federation and instead channelled funds directly to the Sports Authority of India (SAI)-operated NIS centre to ensure uninterrupted operation of the national camp for women boxers.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel.
SUBSCRIBE NOW!
However, TOI has learnt that BFI's selection of coaches to manage the camp hasn't gone down well with the campers. Several boxers have expressed concerns about the 'domineering, ill-tempered and controlling behaviour' of support staff.
The boxers have expressed dissatisfaction with a particular senior coach's training methodology, citing his instructions and excessive discussions instead of essential sparring sessions and fitness routines. A screenshot of a whatsapp chat, accessed by TOI, reveals that support staff members have also raised concerns about this specific coach.
It's been alleged that whilst boxers attend four-hour morning training sessions daily, certain federationappointed coaches dedicate insufficient time to actual training and sparring activities.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed!
IC Markets
Start Now
Undo
The federation has formed several sub committees to ensure the smooth functioning and timely execution of tasks assigned to it by the sport's global governing body – World Boxing. But the selection and coaching committee hasn't even met once since its formation.
Ironically, one of the members appointed as a senior coach last coached a national team 12 years ago.
'Some federation-appointed coaches only dictate their terms.
They are neither good with their training methods nor scheduling. They come and indulge in lengthy speeches. The training has been affected badly. After the morning session, the boxers are called for another practice session for six hours from 2 pm to 8pm every day, with little time devoted to serious training,' alleged a female camper.
'Recently, some coaches picked up a fight amongst themselves leading to heated arguments.
All this is not good for Indian boxing and some serious measures need to be taken to improve the condition of the national camp,' the boxer added.
When contacted, a BFI official assured to look into the matter and hold discussions with the coaches and boxers. The issue has also been brought to the knowledge of sports minister
Mansukh Mandaviya
and he has promised to look into it and seek a report from the federation.
The camp has 62 female boxers, with one head coach, eight other coaches and remaining support staff personnel. The BFI, at present, is governed by a six-member committee appointed by World Boxing, with current president
Ajay Singh
acting as its chairman.
Singh, who is pursuing a third term at the helm of the federation, has abstained from holding elections amid concerns that a majority of state associations may not support him. The elections were originally scheduled for Feb 2 but were rescheduled for March 28 on Himachal Pradesh high court's order and have since been postponed indefinitely.
Get
IPL 2025
match
schedules
,
squads
,
points table
, and live scores for
CSK
,
MI
,
RCB
,
KKR
,
SRH
,
LSG
,
DC
,
GT
,
PBKS
, and
RR
. Check the latest
IPL Orange Cap
and
Purple Cap
standings.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
17 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
'Don't think he's ever going to make India debut': Fans lose patience as contender for Rohit Sharma's Test spot fails
The Indian Test team's preparations for the five-Test England tour are underway, with the A side locking horns in the first of two unofficial Tests against England Lions. While the series carries no official status, its significance couldn't be higher for players vying for spots in the senior side, especially in the wake of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's retirements from Test cricket. On a damp, overcast morning at Chester-le-Street, India A were sent in to bat on a green-tinged wicket tailor-made for seam and swing. The focus was on Abhimanyu Easwaran, the man leading the side and one who is also among the frontrunners to fill the void left by Rohit at the top of the order. But when the opportunity came, Easwaran failed to leave a mark. The Bengal opener, known for his discipline in the longer format, scratched his way to an uncomfortable 8 off 17 balls before edging behind. The innings was neither fluent nor convincing, a missed chance in conditions he was expected to counter. With the new ball hooping around corners, Easwaran's tentative footwork and indecision stood out, and not in the way he'd have hoped. The fans were also disappointed with Easwaran. At the other end, Yashasvi Jaiswal, too, failed to make a mark despite a more assured start, as he departed for 24 off 55 deliveries. The left-hander, already established in India's first-choice XI, blunted the early movement with composure and clarity but nicked one for wicketkeeper James Rew in the 17th over. For India's selectors and team management, this setback from Easwaran comes at a critical juncture. The door to India's Test XI doesn't open often, and when it does, it demands impact. Having waited patiently for a break, the 28-year-old now finds himself under pressure as he awaits the second innings. If he fails to impress again, India may be forced to revisit a familiar option: KL Rahul. Though Rahul has recently batted in the middle order, his experience as an opener may sway the decision-makers back in his favour, especially with challenging English conditions. Rahul has also reportedly urged the BCCI to travel to England ahead of the second multi-day match against England Lions.
Indian Express
38 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Hardik's India numbers better than at MI; but Rinku Singh, Naman Dhir, Shashank Singh & Dhruv Jurel all in contention to complete finishers' cohort
Indian cricket is currently contending with two distinct versions of Hardik Pandya. His international avatar is closer to his younger self, an unforgiving slugger and finisher in the death overs. Despite the odd blips, Hardik has topped his T20I challenges since last year, even when the IPL circuit hasn't been exactly kind to him. The middle-order cavalry around Hardik could be in flux on India's road to the 2026 T20 World Cup. While none can challenge Hardik's spot, India will be looking to nail in a few spots besides him, between Nos. 5-8 for fool-proof slog-overs smashing, with spin all-rounder Axar Patel likely cementing another slot. While one keeps a tab on these other contenders, Hardik's curious 'death-overs degeneration' in the IPL springs a faintly distending concern. The Mumbai Indians captain fronted pace at the death (17-20) in seven innings this IPL season. While he has smote 11 boundaries, Hardik isn't as lethal with the blade as he used to be, averaging 15 against the seamers after being dismissed five times in 39 deliveries. Wearing a slightly recalibrated batting role since his Gujarat Titans stint in 2022, Hardik's presence has diminished at the death. It takes the output of the four seasons put together for Hardik's slog-overs numbers to overtake all Indian batters in the league since last year. While none have nearly embraced the death-overs specialism with consistency since MS Dhoni's heyday in the league, Shashank Singh is catching up with the best in the phase from 2024 onwards. The Punjab Kings batter arguably holds the best death-over aggregates among all Indian bats in the period. In his IPL second wind, the 33-year-old Shashank has racked up 287 runs at the death, nearly 44 percent of his overall runs in the two seasons. Only four batters have registered more runs in this phase in this time, with no Indian scoring more runs at a better strike rate than Shashank's 212.21. Bashing both left-arm and right-arm pacers with a 200-plus SR, Shashank adds 15-20 runs more than the average batter against the quicks at the death. Shashank's profile nearly eclipses Hardik's 2022-25 haul – 305 runs at a 172.24 SR – single-handedly. Hardik's diminishing returns against seam are glaring when placed against his 2019 self, the best year for any Indian death-overs finisher in the IPL. Since last season, Hardik has struck at 175.81 at the death, comparatively higher on dot ball percentages and weaker in digging out the right-arm seamers. His 148.84 SR against right-arm pace puts him behind the average batter in the phase by nearly 15 runs. In the preceding two seasons between 2022-23, Hardik slumped against the left-arm quicks, struggling to pace himself past an odd and off-putting 76.47 SR, nearly 56 runs fewer than the average bat. Curiously, Hardik in the Indian blues, flips the scales entirely with his performances demanding top-tier status. India's highest-ever run-scorer in the T20I slog-overs at 904 runs in 60 outings, Hardik has gathered nearly 22.4 percent (203) of those in 13 innings since 2024. Striking at 181.25, no batter from Full-Member sides has topped him in the period. While he juggles between the intricately different roles, Hardik is poised to deliver on the international stage, veering the focus towards his potential T20I middle-order/death-overs associates. Variances in their striking efficacies place Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh under the scanner. Despite matching Hardik's death-overs SR for India since 2024, Dube and Rinku's underwhelming recent runs will magnify their shortcomings in a growing pool of designated death-overs hitters. With Dube generally holding the No. 5 spot and a larger presence in the middle-overs, India's No. 7, behind Hardik, could warrant a few auditions. Reduced to a cameo man with the Kolkata Knight Riders despite his spectacular IPL 2023 season, Rinku's depleted game time will not likely affect his advantage for the role, but there are new challengers on board. Rinku's 99 runs at the death this season aren't eye-popping by any means. His 235.71 SR, though, hasn't been overhauled by any of the 13 batters who have aggregated 100-plus runs in the phase. *includes players available for T20Is There is promise in the finishing spurts of Naman Dhir (132 runs and 206.25) and Ashutosh Sharma (115 runs at 185.48), and others behind Shashank (162 at 197.56) in the leaderboard this season. The lack of a certified second dimension in their respective skill sets places the trio, alongside Rinku, in a tricky race for a position in India's revamping T20I lower order. Wicket-keepers Dhruv Jurel and Jitesh Sharma could enter the fray in this regard. Hardik's wavering splits could disrupt the comforts of the expendable No. 7 before a home World Cup next summer. Rinku will lead the bid, but India have a few more veritable guns to scope out in the road ahead.
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Pakistan must hand over Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar to India: Rajnath Singh
4:23 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met 14-year-old sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi and his family at the Patna Airport after the young batter broke multiple records while playing for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League 2025.
