Elite boxers’ wait to resume training gets longer

Confusion over the selection of venue has led to the lads’s boxing group, which has certified for the Tokyo Olympics, unable to renew coaching after the lengthy coronavirus- enforced lockdown. Nine Indian boxers, together with 4 girls, had certified for the Games on the continental qualifiers in March in Jordan and their coaching was to renew within the final week of June.

Rajkumar Sangwan, a Boxing Federation of India (BFI) choice committee member, mentioned, “The federation is yet to get the Sports Authority of India (SAI) approval. I think the safety of athletes is the primary concern (of SAI) because of the spike in Covid-19 cases. The resumption of training will depend upon the situation. It might take a week, 10 days or even a month.”

Earlier this month, India’s high-performance director Santiago Nieva had proposed the Inspire Institute of Sports (IIS) in Bellary, Karnataka for coaching, and two boxers, Vikas Krishan (69kg) and Ashish Kumar (75kg), had reached the venue in anticipation and are in necessary 14-day quarantine.

On Saturday, it transpired that NIS, Patiala would seemingly be the coaching venue. “There is confusion as athletes inside IIS are not being allowed to go out, while those outside aren’t being allowed to enter,” a training employees member mentioned, including, “In that case, the best option will be Patiala.”

But right here too, the boxers must undergo the 14-day quarantine earlier than resuming coaching.

In May when SAI introduced the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for resumption of coaching for elite sportspersons, solely athletes and hockey gamers, who had bought caught in SAI campuses when the lockdown was enforced in March, had been allowed to start coaching.

The coaching in disciplines like boxing and wrestling, the place sparring companions are wanted, wasn’t accredited.

The BFI now desires to cut back the variety of athletes within the proposed camp. “To start with, we will have five boxers who have qualified for the Olympics —Amit Panghal, Manish Kaushik, Vikas Krishan, Ashish Kumar and Satish Kumar—in the camp,” a training employees member mentioned.

“They will have to undergo 14-day quarantine and then the training will commence. Initially, the emphasis will be on fitness, hence there will be no need for sparring partners.”

Nieva, who was optimistic in regards to the camp resuming in May, when requested in regards to the delay, mentioned, he wasn’t authorised to talk.

“All I can say is I’m in Patiala and unsure when I will get a chance to travel back home (to Sweden).”