Thiruvananthapuram:
Miffed with Boxing India’s threat to ban boxers who participated in the ongoing National Games, the state units that defied the diktat, have demanded that a special general body meeting be called to discuss the matter even as BI remained steadfast on its stand.
27 states participated in the boxing competition of the Games defying a threat of ban by BI, which boycotted the showpiece to protest against IOA’s adamant refusal to grant recognition to it. Although the participating teams were not particularly pleased with the manner in which the competition was conducted under the old scoring system they decided to compete nonetheless.
The units, in a letter to Boxing India President Sandeep Jajodia, have now raised questions on the move to boycott the Games and demanded a meeting to discuss the issue.
“The direction you have imposed upon the state boxing units is of your own individual decision without the sanction of the executive committee of Boxing India nor the mandate of the General Body as a matter of fact, therefore, is highly arbitrary, unauthorized, unconstitutional, illegal and untenable, a total of 27 boxing units defied your order and participated in the 35th National Games in Kerala,” stated the letter signed by 10 state unit representatives, including Gujarat, Haryana, Manipur and Uttarakhand.
BI, on its part, maintained that there has been no change in its position.
“The boxing event was illegal and meritorious boxers did not get to participate in it. The National Games Organising Committee was in complete contradiction to their own set eligibility criteria. Also, an old system of scoring was used to judge the bouts. They breached the very foundation of the Olympic charter,” BI spokesperson Neetal Narang told PTI.
