Boxing federation cry over minimal govt help

Boxing was one of the biggest success stories in Indian sports at the 2008 Beijing Olympics but three years down the line and another Olympic Games around the corner, the national federation (IBF) complains that it still has to run from pillar to post even for basic infrastructure.

Training at the air-conditioned boxing hall of the National Institute of Sports in Patiala might present a very rosy picture of the state of affairs but in reality, the Indian Boxing Federation says getting even rings in place at other states to nurture talent is an administrative nightmare.

"There is a government scheme of 75-25 in which the sports ministry bears 75 per cent of the cost of any infrastructure that a federation wants to buy. The rest of the 25 per cent is taken care of by the federation. Several federations benefit from this scheme but not the boxing federation," complained IBF secretary general P K Muralidharan Raja.

"So if we want to set up a ring, the cost of which roughly comes to Rs two lakh, it becomes difficult because we don't get a penny from the government. I don't understand the process, our files keep going from one hand to another but no action is taken. And the most disturbing part is that some federations benefit but we don't for reasons not known to us," he said.

"It is so important to have basic infrastructure in place for the continuous supply of talent. If we start benefitting from this scheme, we can go in for quality headguards and gloves because the cost will decrease for us. It is really frustrating to keep waiting like this," Raja said.

That's not all, Raja said the coaches who trained the boxers during the Beijing Olympics, where two reached the quarter-finals and Vijender Singh went on to grab a historic bronze, have still not been paid their reward money.

"Another Olympics has come but the coaches have still not got the prize money for Beijing. There is some dispute with regards to who is the basic coach and who is the national coach but what is the logic for not paying at all?" he asked.

"The coaches work as hard as the boxers, they deserve to be rewarded," he added.