Boxing Federation of India appoints Irish boxing expert Dmitry Dmitruk to oversee elite boxing camp

Veteran foreign expert Dmitry Dmitruk joined the Indian camp in Patiala last week in preparation for major international events, including the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) said in a statement on Tuesday.

Dmitruk, a former Russian boxing expert who holds an Irish passport, will assist India’s boxing high-performance director Bernard Dunne, who joined the Indian boxing team last year. Dmitruk too has been with the Irish boxing team for a decade.

“He will oversee both men and women’s national boxing camps for the next two years,” the BFI said.

While the women’s core group of boxers are camping in Patiala, BFI has sent a second string of players for an exposure tour to Europe and are competing in the Strandja Cup in Bulgaria.

A mix of elite and second bench The BFI has also fielded a mix of elite and second bench at the Strandja Cup.

According to Bhaskar Bhatt, chief women's boxing coach, the main focus is on the next month's women’s boxing championships.

“The elite women boxers are practicing in Patiala,” Bhatt said. The camp will be shifted to New Delhi in the first week of March. The final preparation will be at the same venue of the world boxing competition.”

Nitu Ghanghas, the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games champion, skipped the national championships due to an injury but has been included in the national camp in Patiala.

"She (Nitu) will represent India at the World Boxing Championships in 48kg, while Nikhat will contest 50kg,” the chief coach added.

According to the chief coach, Indian women boxers competing at the Strandja Cup in Bulgaria will not get a chance to compete at the world championships. However, they will certainly get a chance to showcase their talent during the Asian Games selection trials.

Meanwhile, as many as eight nations, including the USA, have pulled out of the New Delhi’s World Boxing Championships to be held in March. This is due to the International Boxing Association (IBA) allowing boxers from Russia and Belarus to compete in the tournament. Moreover, IBA has announced that New Delhi's World Boxing Championships will act as a qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

The IBA's decision to announce the Paris Olympic Games qualification will be in conflict with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) policy to conduct the Paris Olympic Games qualification.