AIBA re-inducts BFI as permanent member

The International Boxing Association (AIBA) has unanimously voted to re-induct the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) as one of its permanent members during its extraordinary congress here on Tuesday.

Complementing India's comeback into the international boxing fold, the AIBA has also decided to host its annual commission meeting in India in February next year.

Tuesday's decision marks India's formal re-introduction into the international boxing fraternity after a gap of four years.

"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 President Ajay Singh said in a statement.

"The BFI's focus will be to develop the sport and ensure that our country wins laurels in boxing at the international level," he added.

India was provisionally suspended in December 2012 for "possible manipulation" in the erstwhile Indian Amateur Boxing Federation's (IABF) selections.

Following that development, Indian boxers were unable to compete under their national flag and had to participate in international tournaments as independent athletes.

AIBA President Ching-Kuo Wu congratulated the BFI for organising and conducting the national champions after a gap of four years.

The Indian delegation also proposed to the AIBA chief to jointly set up a boxing academy in India. The academy could open its doors to budding pugilists who could get the right kind of training and state of the art infrastructure to excel in the sport.

If accepted, the proposed academy would be jointly run by the AIBA and the BFI under the regulations of the Indian government.

--IANS

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