The assessment to select India teams for CWG and Asiad has started during national camp in Patiala
As the boxing selection process started in the national camp in NIS Patiala, two-time world championships medallist Nikhat Zareen will face a stiff challenge against some high-quality opponents, including reigning world champion (48kg) Minakshi Hooda, who has moved up a weight class with an eye on the Asian Games and CWG. The two-stage selection process will decide the Indian team for the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. The finalists of the Asian Championships have been given direct berths, and three Olympic weights (51kg, 65kg, 75kg) will be up for assessment in the women’s category.
The other contenders in 51kg are Nitu Ghanghas, the 2023 world champion (48kg) and a CWG gold medallist; Jyoti Gulia, a former youth world champion and two-time national champion; Shakshi, who has shifted from the 54kg weight class; and Tanu. In 54kg, Preeti Pawar has sealed her selection after winning the Asian Championships title.
selection process
In the previous evaluation done in February, Nikhat finished on top ahead of Nitu and Jyoti. However, Jyoti was not satisfied with the selection process and sent a complaint to the Sports Authority of India, saying she had “convincingly outperformed” her opponents with a clear margin, which can be objectively verified through the official bout video recordings. Jyoti and a few other boxers had also raised doubts over the transparency of the assessment process and said they were not immediately informed about the scores of the trials. “We don’t get to know the scores of our sparring sessions. Even the hand of the boxer is not raised. How do we know who has won?” Jyoti had complained.
Following this, SAI this time raised the concerns of the boxers with the BFI. Sparring of boxers will be conducted in a knockout format instead of a round-robin format. It means boxers will get to know the results in the ring. That puts more emphasis on the results inside the ring.
Asian Championships
Nikhat hasn’t been at her very best in recent times. Though she recently returned with a bronze medal from the Asian Championships, she was comprehensively beaten by China’s Wu Yu in the semi-finals, who had also defeated her at the Paris Olympics. At the World Championships last year, she exited in the quarter-finals, losing 0–5 to Turkey’s Buse Naz Cakiroglu, also a two-time Olympic silver medallist. She won gold at the World Boxing Cup Finals at home, beating Chinese Taipei’s Xuan Yi Guo in the final.
The BFI also wanted the finalists of the COAS Cup to compete in the selection process, but SAI has not approved the process and has raised several issues with the BFI selection policy.
Anamika Hooda out of action
The big miss will be Anamika Hooda in 51kg, who is coming back from ACL surgery. In 51kg, Anamika emerged as a strong challenger to Nikhat, but she injured herself during trials before the World Championships and was out of action. She was looking forward to joining the national camp through the COAS Cup, as announced by the BFI, but the latest development has come as a disappointment for boxers who were looking forward to take part in the selection process.
“Under the revised schedule, the assessment will be conducted in two phases. Strength & Conditioning tests will be held on May 6 and 7, followed by sparring bouts from May 11 to 15, conducted in a knockout format to determine final standings across weight categories,” BFI said in a statement.
Evaluation procedure
“The evaluation carries a total of 200 marks, combining both technical and non-technical parameters. Non-technical components—including attendance, weight management, health management, international potential, and strength & conditioning—will contribute to the overall score alongside technical assessments conducted by a panel of evaluators,” BFI said.
EOM
