New Delhi, May 11 (PTI) The Sports Ministry on Monday issued a showcause notice to the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) for its “ambiguous” selection policy that “does not appear to be transparent” and failure to make critical appointments like the High Performance Director despite reminders.
The BFI has been given a week’s time to respond to the notice, a well-placed source told PTI.
The notice was issued a day after the Sports Authority of India (SAI) asked the BFI to suspend an assessment camp in Patiala to pick boxers for the upcoming Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games this year.
The ministry said the criteria governing entry into the national camp through the “second pathway” of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Cup has not been clearly articulated by the BFI.
The tournament in question took place in April at the Army Sports Institute in Pune where the SAI alleges, some boxers who are not a part of the armed forces were denied entry. The 40 medal winners from the COAS Cup were to be assessed at the national camp.
But the SAI said it could not give sanction to a camp in which boxers from a “closed” tournament had been brought in under a panel of coaches who did not satisfy the criteria for qualification and experience.
The Ministry said the BFI has also failed to appoint a High Performance Director, despite repeated reminders. Last year, it had been made mandatory for NSFs to set aside Rs 10 crore for this position.
The BFI also stands accused of not including Sports Authority of India’s Director General or his nominee in the selection committee for appointing coaches and support staff as mandated by the ministry.
The BFl is also not adhering to timelines prescribed for submission of proposals for international training and competition, according to the Ministry notice.
NSFs are required to submit proposals at least 90 days in advance without names of athletes and at least 60 days prior with names of athletes for international training and competition.
The ministry said such “deficiencies” have the potential to adversely affect fair participation of athletes.
Earlier, SAI had stated that it would give a go ahead to the assessment if the BFI gives a written assurance of fair selection process. It was alleged that trial bout results were to be withheld and winners were to be announced only after a meeting between the coaches and the High Performance Unit that is not yet fully formed.
“Several complaints have landed at our doorstep, in which boxers are telling us that at this assessment camp, the bout results were not going to be immediately released. Instead, the BFI’s so-called High Performance Unit (HPU) along with the selection committee was going to have discussions and then decide who to pick,” the source said.
“The idea is against all norms of fairplay and if it ends up being challenged in a court of law, SAI would need a plausible explanation from the BFI. But they are not responding to queries and write to us only when they need approval for something that they want to do. Things don’t work in this manner,” he added. PTI PM PM APA APA
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