The start to the senior boxing nationals was delayed by a few hours on Sunday in Greater Noida after three boxing rings and lighting equipment could not be brought into the venue last night. Then, upon setting up the rings in the afternoon, a steel wire snapped, further pushing back the start of the domestic tournament. The bouts, which were supposed to begin at 2pm on Sunday, eventually started at 6:30pm.
A Boxing Federation of India official who was present at the venue told The Indian Express that the delay in bringing the equipment meant work could only begin in the morning on Sunday. Knowing that the delay would take place, the BFI had informed boxers earlier that the tournament would start later in the day.
“There was an issue with the equipment reaching the venue. It should have come yesterday,” the official said. “There are three rings and no matter how much manpower you put in, there are lots of nuts and bolts that need to be tightened. It takes 5-6 hours to set a ring and since it’s a big championship, it was tough to start by 2pm. We had informed athlete groups about the delay.”
Usually, the nationals are conducted separately for men and women, but this was the first time that three rings would be used side-by-side and both men and women would compete at the same venue. The start of the bouts was then further delayed when one of the steel cables in the ring snapped.
“One of the steel wires in the ring snapped and the technician to fix it wasn’t available for a short while,” said Hemanta Kalita, president of Assam Boxing to The Indian Express. When the competition finally began at 6:30pm, two out of the three rings were operational but Kalita said that all the bouts of the day would go ahead as per schedule.
The nationals were earlier supposed to be held from December 31st to January 6 at Gautam Buddha University in Greater Noida. But the federation, citing pollution control mandated by the government, chose to push the dates of the event from January 4 to 10 at the same venue.
Some of India’s top boxers, including Nikhat Zareen, Lovlina Borgohain and Minakshi Hooda are part of the nationals. The women’s team recently saw a coaching change with former Indian high-performance director Santiago Nieva returning to the national team’s coaching setup.
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The BFI later released a statement acknowledging the delay. “The Boxing Federation of India acknowledges that the commencement of Day 1 of the Senior Boxing National Championships was delayed earlier today due to unforeseen circumstances. We confirm that all operational matters were promptly addressed, and the championships are now underway and progressing smoothly as per the revised schedule.”
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
