“Because we don't think about future generations, they will never forget us.”
This brilliant but ironic quote from Finnish author Henrik Tikkanen provides some compelling food for thought. You would usually think that if a particular generation keeps the previous alive in its thoughts, the latter must have done something great and beneficial.
But that's not always the case. The current state of Indian boxing, one encompassed in uncertainty and stagnation and headed towards perpetual decline, is slowly giving birth to a generation that will not forget the previous one – but for all the wrong reasons.
The success of a sport in any country around the world depends as much on the administrational bodies as on the players and teams. To better understand that, you need not look beyond Indian boxing which, after its glory period of 2008-2012, has fallen from grace so badly that it has nothing but “BOUND TO FAIL” written all over its future.
Sportskeeda’s thought-provoking documentary about the decline of Indian boxing is a relevant watch for anyone who has the slightest interest in the country’s sporting progress.
India sent five boxers to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and the 2012 London edition saw that number go up to eight. This progress in Indian boxing was reinforced by Vijender Singh and Mary Kom winning medals in 2008 and 2012, respectively.
Calamity strikes Indian boxing
After years and years of struggle, India's time in boxing had arrived, and the country’s boxers were set to become the world’s creme de la creme. However, Indian sport and catastrophe have a certain connection that refuses to fade. On December 7, 2012, the International Boxing Association suspended the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation on account of the “manipulation” in the governing body's elections.
Manipulation, corruption and controversy are not new to India, but this particular incident disarmed Indian boxing to such an extent that the sport has now gone into oblivion, a black hole from which it might be impossible to come out for several years to come. The documentary traces the decline of Indian boxing and how India might not have a single boxer competing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and the heart bleeds for the competitors who have been rendered inactive for no fault of their own.
Though they are not usually given much attention in India, the domestic championships of a sport – especially the nationals – lay the foundation for the success of individuals and teams. Barring a few aberrations, India’s sporting heroes have come from regions with a strong sporting set-up, and they have first made their mark in the national championships. Be it Sachin Tendulkar (Mumbai), Saina Nehwal (Hyderabad), Sania Mirza (Hyderabad), Sushil Kumar (Haryana) or Yogeshwar Dutt (Haryana), all of their talents would have gone to waste if not for a strong system of domestic play, both in terms of the institutional policies and quality of competition available.
Indian boxing was heading into a period of success similar to what wrestling and badminton are experiencing at the moment. But that catastrophic decision by the AIBA, which came about as a result of the malpractice, greed and hunger for money brazenly displayed by India's officials, knocked the sport into submission – just like our boxers did to opponents from 2008 to 2012.
A four-year paralysis that has crippled the sport in the country
In the aftermath of IABF’s suspension, a makeshift organisation, known as Boxing India, was formed to manage the activities Indian boxing. But Boxing India turned out to be just like its disposition – makeshift – and crumbled soon, thereby putting Indian boxing in a state of limbo.
An ad-hoc committee, appointed by AIBA, was then appointed to oversee the sport’s administration, but that was like having a state-appointed guardian take care of you in an orphanage. The guardian would surely pay for your food, shelter and clothing, but would likely not provide much in terms of your growth and nurturing as an individual.
That said, guardians probably do more for the orphans under their care than what has been done to develop Indian boxing in the past four years. While the fans, media and the government are oblivious to this decay, boxing is rapidly descending into an abyss, which is so deep that the damage caused could become irreparable.
Mamta, a gold medalist at the 2012 National Championships, has not boxed in any competitive event apart from inter-railways in the last four years, and is now working as a TTE. Winning a gold medal at the National Championships during the golden period of Indian boxing is nothing short of spectacular, and we can only imagine the heights Mamta would have scaled if the IABF would not have been suspended.
Seeing a potential world-beater being forced to do a job which pays decently and has plenty of dignity but comes at the expense of her dream, is a lot worse than it sounds.
Bhiwani is to boxing what Mumbai is to cricket, Sonepat is to wrestling and Hyderabad is to badminton. Akhil Kumar, Jitender Kumar and Vijender Singh, all three 2008 Olympians, belong to the Bhiwani Boxing Club and owe their success to the training they received at the institution. Vijender, possibly India’s biggest male boxing star of all time, is currently doing well in the pro circuit and is a shining example of the culture that was cultivated back then.
Jagdish Singh, the founder of Bhiwani Boxing Club, has seen Indian boxing plummet from the highs of Olympic glory to the lows of international exile, and his disappointment was magnified by the fact that India managed to send only three boxers to the 2016 Rio Olympics, who returned with no medal. This is not to say that the boxers who went were poor; rather, it is in indication that the absence of domestic competitions has impacted Indian boxing so adversely that there is literally no platform for young boxers to show their credentials.
Negative and unfortunate after-effects
All those years of training in the first decade of the 21st century showed results, which came in the form of consecutive Olympic medals (2008 and 2012) and the creation of a path on which youngsters could walk and bring glory to India. However, ever since that path was destroyed by corruption and malpractice, the new generation has nothing to walk on – and some of them have already trodden down dark alleys, in the process abandoning their glorious careers, fame and the chance to become heroes.
Take the example of Deepak Pahal, a young boxer from Haryana who was set for an exceptional career in the sport after winning the Junior National Championships and performing well in certain international competitions too. However, the banning of the federation led Pahal to a dark path and quite shockingly, he is currently in a Delhi jail living life as a convict.
The young Pahal’s journey from standing with a boxing medal on his chest to receiving a convict number is the perfect representation of Indian boxing’s decline. In a country of more than 1.2 billion people, becoming directionless is a way of life for several youngsters and unfortunately for Indian boxing, Pahal turned out to be one of them. It is quite easy to blame the kid for his current state, but a little introspection would make us wonder whether disappointment and lack of support had anything to do with his choices.
Not just Pahal, but even his family must have foreseen a great future for their son, who would have landed a high-ranking government job at the very least as a boxer. If all went well, an Olympic medal would have been waiting in the future too. However, the boy and his family were brought down to earth with a thud with the IABF's ban.
What does the future hold?
What does the future hold, particularly with regard to the next Olympics? We can't say anything for certain at the moment. India’s boxing participation at the 2016 Rio Olympics was tremendously jeopardised after the formation of the new body – to be called Boxing Federation of India (BFI) – got delayed beyond AIBA's deadline of 14th May. However, boxing’s apex organisation extended the deadline, thereby enabling India to send three boxers for Rio 2016.
The BFI has now been formed, and the elections for the appointment of its office-bearers are set to take place in Mumbai on 25th September 2016. This is certainly a step in the right direction, and hopefully the sign of a new dawn. However, the administrative capabilities of the members who will be elected are yet to be seen. Also, their agendas and policies for the sport remain unclear, which means it's not a given that the AIBA will lift the ban immediately upon the completion of the elections.
Still, the biggest challenge before the federation is going to be its approach towards the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which are less than four years away from now. Countries across the world, even with top class systems in place, start preparing for Olympics at least five years before a particular edition. The Indian federation faces an even bigger task, considering it has to start from scratch.
It is quite sad that a sport as big as boxing, with a more than signifcant talent pool in India, went into a four-year paralysis. The effects of that were seen sharply in Rio, and could stretch to Tokyo as well. While the formation of the new federation is good news for youngsters and boxing aficionados across the country, will it be able to gain the trust of kids’ parents?
From 2012 to 2016, many actual and potential careers got blown away in the tornado that had hit Indian boxing. A wave of cynicsm, skepticism and paranoia surrounded everyone associated with the sport in India, and it's tough to say how long it will take to get out of that.
The BFI, for a large part of its initial tenure, will be skating on thin eggshells and would be under tremendous scrutiny. Winning back the trust of a population already skeptical about sending their children into sports is going to be incredibly tough, and would be the federation’s biggest test.
If the BFI manages to create a structure that facilitates the participation of India at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, it will be a tremendous achievement. However, we should not be surprised if we see no Indian pugilist competing for a medal in the Japanese capital four years from now.
