Boxing India chief appeals to state associations for support

Boxing India (BI) president Sandeep Jajodia on Sunday urged the boxing fraternity and state units to unanimously take a stand against the politics "which is corrupting the image of the game in the country".

Jajodia in his appeal alleged that influential figures in the Indian Olympics Association (IOA) intentionally did not recognise BI even after the International Boxing Association's (AIBA) instruction to dismiss the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation's (IABF) ad-hoc committee and treat BI as the governing body for boxing in the country.

"Despite AIBA giving Boxing India the necessary recognition, the Indian Olympics Association intentionally did not recognise Boxing India and failed to deconstitute the ad-hoc committee it had created for boxing," Jajodia said in a release.

"This was despite AIBA clearly instructing IOA for dismantling the ad-hoc committee. Why? The reasons are obvious -- the same persons who were running IABF and who were responsible for the downfall of boxing in India were also in some influential form at the IOA."

In his appeal to the state units and members, Jajodia wrote: "First and foremost unity amongst members, taking up the ownership of their responsibilities and the dream and the desire to take the sport of boxing to the next level in India.

"This, of course, requires the previously expelled IABF to be derecognised by the IOA and the recognition of Boxing India as the only organisation that leads the sport of boxing in India.

"For this, each state unit needed to play an active role in support of BI office bearers."

Jajodia also assured the reimbursements that the state bodies demand for conducting tournaments will happen as soon as BI members pay the outstanding fees.

"Today Boxing India is financing itself as a consequence and costs of certain pockets, which at the end are bearing the costs and expenses.

"And the States associations are miffed because they who have not paid any membership fee till date, have not received some reimbursements? I find this really a conflict in itself.

"Nobody states that reimbursements will not happen. For reimbursements the organisation needs to start earning its membership fees," he said.

"Inspite of these circumstances, a special general meeting is sought to be called by certain States to remove the president and the secretary general.

"To my understanding, the special general meeting that is being called is illegal and void."

Jajodia said those members who have not paid any fees till April 30 would not have the right to vote during BI elections.