AIBA grants permanent membership to Boxing Federation of India

THE INTERNATIONAL BOXING ASSOCIATION (AIBA) has unanimously voted to induct the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) as one of its permanent members today during the Extraordinary Congress at Montreux in Switzerland. Complementing India’s comeback into the international boxing fold, AIBA also decided to host its Annual Commissions meeting in India in February, 2017. 

This decision marks India’s formal re-introduction into the international boxing fraternity after many years. Welcoming the development, Ajay Singh, President, BFI said,

“We are delighted that India is now a full member of AIBA. With this, our boxers will once again have the honour of competing under the Indian flag.'

“BFI’s focus will be to develop the sport and ensure that our country wins laurels in boxing at the international level,” added Singh.

India was provisionally suspended in December 2012 for “possible manipulation” in the erstwhile Indian Amateur Boxing Federation’s elections. Post which the country had been left out in the cold for a span of four years. The newly formed Boxing Federation of India has made an effort to get back boxing on calendar and the recently concluded National championships is a step towards the boxing scene getting better in the country. 

Meanwhile, Dr. Ching-Kuo Wu, President AIBA also congratulated BFI for organising and conducting the Nationals. The Indian delegation proposed to the AIBA, President to jointly open and run a boxing academy in India. The academy could open doors to budding pugilists who could get the right kind of training and state of the art infrastructure to excel into the trade and tricks of the sport. If accepted, the proposed academy would be jointly run by AIBA and BFI under the regulation of Government of India.