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The Indian Olympic Association expressed their surprise at the provisional approval of Boxing India as the new governing body for boxing in India by the AIBA, as the National Olympic Committee were not consulted regarding the decision.
IOA Secretary General Rajeev Mehta expressed his disappointment by saying, “I have not got any official communication from the AIBA regarding this. Nor my president (N Ramachandran) has got any communication. We don’t know anything about this. We read the news in the newspapers. We should have been consulted by the AIBA because ultimately any National Sports Federation will need the IOA’s recognition and the participation of any Indian athlete (read boxer) in international events will have to go through the IOA.”
He also expressed his surprise with the decision and asserted that the IOA will decide on a future course of action in a few days, adding: “We were surprised at the development. I think it (AIBA giving approval to ‘Boxing India’) is not in consonance with IOC rules. Under the Olympic Charter, an NOC (National Olympic Committee) has a special place over any sports activity in the country. The AIBA should have consulted us. Senior members of the IOA will meet within a few days in Delhi and take a decision on the future course of action”
Mehta said that the IOA had no information at all about Boxing India. “We don’t know who are they and we have nothing to do with them as of now. Let them say what they want.”
The group Boxing India consists of the CMD of long-time Indian boxing sponsor Monnet Ispat Limited, Sandeep Jajodia, and owner of India’s World Series of Boxing franchise, Udit Sheth. They released a statement last week stating that they had gotten provisional approval by the AIBA.
