New boxing body elected but Asiad participation still doubtful

Ending more than one-and-a-half year-old impasse in Indian boxing officialdom, a new body headed by industrialist Sandeep Jajodia was elected here today for a four-year term in the elections conducted via a secret ballot in the presence of two observers from world body AIBA.
While Jajodia, representing Chhattisgarh BA, was elected unopposed as President of Boxing India (BI) in the elections in which 33 units took part, Jay Kowli of Maharashtra was elected as Secretary-General in a three- cornered contest in which he polled the highest number of votes (32), said AIBA's India-based observer Kishen Narsi.
Also elected as treasurer was Hemanta Kumar Kalita of Assam, who defeated two other rivals by garnering 41 votes, said Narsi, who was the AIBA observer along with AIBA's legal manager Cliodhna Guy who had flown down from Lausanne, Switzerland, to oversee the elections.

Narsi announced the results after Returning Officer Justice (retd) D K Deshmukh, who had a "pressing commitment" in an arbitration matter, had to leave early.
Ten Vice-Presidents and a seven-member Executive Council were also declared elected.
Narsi, however, said as far as the Indian boxers' participation in the Asian Games, starting in South Korea next week-end, is concerned, things have to become clearer.

"Thirteen boxers' names have been sent to the Asian Games Organising Committee. They have been training hard in Patiala and Delhi. The present situation (about their participation) is not clear.
"A process has been followed and its results will be sent to the AIBA Executive Council (for clearance). But there's time as boxing events start only on the 23rd."

Narsi, who was part of the ad-hoc committee formed by IOA to run boxing affairs, had stepped down after being appointed by AIBA as observer for today's elections.
Narsi said "The IOA was informed that two observers, myself and Cliodhna, will be the AIBA observers at the elections. They were asked to send their observer. None came. You have to ask them the reason.