New Delhi [India], February 25 : After the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) announced its decision to establish an ad hoc committee to oversee the boxing affairs in the country due to ongoing "administrative instability" in the federation, the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) strongly condemned the IOA's decision and called it "illegal."
The elections of the BFI were set to be conducted on February 2, however, the elections have not been held. On Monday, the IOA announced its decision to establish an ad hoc committee to oversee the "affairs of the Indian Boxing Federation and ensure the smooth functioning of its activities until the conduct of free and fair elections."
"The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has been closely monitoring the administrative affairs of the Boxing Federation of India (BFI). As per the governing norms, elections to the IBF were to be conducted on or before 02 February 2025. However, despite the prescribed timeline, the elections have not been held, resulting in administrative instability within the federation," IOA President PT Usha said in a letter.
"Furthermore, this office has received numerous complaints from stakeholders, including athletes, coaches, and concerned authorities, regarding the non-participation of Indian boxers in various important National / International events in recent months. This situation is detrimental to the growth and performance of Indian boxing on the global stage and necessitates immediate corrective measures," Usha added.
The ad hoc committee is headed by Madhukant Pathak. Rajesh Bhandari, DP Bhatt, Virendra Singh Thakur and Shiva Thapa are the other members of the panel.
In reply to IOA's decision, BFI released a statement condemning the creation of the ad hoc committee to manage the body's affairs.
"The BFI strongly condemns the creation of an ad-hoc panel to manage its affairs, calling it illegal and a blatant attempt to violate the autonomy of a National Sports Federation (NSF). This has also been communicated in a letter by the President, BFI to the President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA)," BFI said in a statement.
"BFI will also be filing a petition for quashing this illegal order before the Hon'ble Delhi High Court immediately. It's pertinent to also mention a verdict of today, wherein the Hon'ble Delhi High Court annulled the IOA's decision to form an ad-hock panel for the Bihar Olympic Association," the statement continued.
"IOA did not find it necessary to enquire about the issue with the BFI Office or its President before taking such a decision. As per Article 21.5 of the constitution of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), no decision pertaining to an NSF can be made without prior consultation with the parent International Federation, and approval of the IOA Executive Committee. Considering the NSF's autonomous status, neither of them was done. The IOA has no jurisdiction over the conduct of elections for NSFs, yet this order has been issued in a manner that clearly questions its intent," the statement added.