‘India’ team in IBA worlds raises eyebrows, BFI writes to world body

young new delhi: A fully fledged native american pugilism team is competing in the International Boxing Association’s (IBA) Elite Men’s World Championships in Dubai (Dec 3-11), despite the Boxing Federation of India — the national governing body for the sport in the country — ending its association with the erstwhile world body. The 13-member team has been fielded by the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF), which lost its status as a national federation in 2017.

BFI said it has written to World Boxing (WB)— the current world body for the sport recognised by the International Olympic Committee — about the development and that the team participating is not an official entry sent by India.

BFI joined World Boxing in May 2024, after the IOC withdrew recognition from IBA and called on member countries to collaborate towards forming a new governing body to safeguard boxing’s future as an Olympic sport. Having granted provisional recognition to WB, the IOC has also kept boxing on the calendar for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

“No national federation would take the risk of participating under the banner of IBA, and we have informed the world body that the team participating is not an official entry of India. We should not do anything that threatens our status and jeopardises the careers of our boxers. The mandate from the IOC was very clear that any national federation wanting to compete at the Olympics has to be part of World Boxing and cannot be in the IBA,” BFI Executive Director Col Arun Malik told HT.

“Only BFI can send an India team for competitions. We are the only recognised national governing federation for the sport in India. What they (IABF) have done is something illegal,” said Malik.

While IABF never ceased to exist, it has swung into action this year, organising five competitions in youth, elite men’s and women’s categories since July. BFI, then issued an advisory to its registered boxers and coaches asking them not to participate in any activity or event organised by IABF, as the federation holds no official status.

“We are going to inform the Sports Ministry about this latest development and we would also go to court so that this should stop immediately and they should not be deceiving athletes and players. In fact, the court (Delhi High Court) had passed an order (in 2019) restraining them (IABF) from using the word India or Indian,” said Malik.

The IABF organising competitions and trials to pick a team for the IBA World Championship was being talked about in boxing circles. Though there are no big names in the team competing in the IBA event, coaches say several big players also wanted to try their luck because of the prize money being offered in IBA tournaments.

While IBA has been losing membership after being shorn of recognition from the IOC, the Umar Kremlev-led IBA has only stepped up in hosting big-ticket prize-money competitions that have kept the boxing world divided.

IBA is offering a whopping USD 8.32 million in prize money, distributed across 13 weight categories to gold, silver, and bronze medallists, as well as 5th-place finishers for the Dubai World Championships.

“Additionally, the prize money will be divided among the boxer, the coach, and the National Federation as follows: 50% to the athlete, 25% to the coach, and 25% to the National Federation,” according to IBA.

The BFI came into existence in late 2016 after a four-year-long dispute-filled period in Indian boxing, when IABF was first suspended and then terminated by AIBA — the then world body. With no national governing body for four years, boxers went through a harrowing time and India’s performance on the international stage plummeted.

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