Former boxers questions selection policy for Commonwealth Games

03/02/2018

Vijender Singh and Commonwealth bronze medallist Jitender Kumar have questioned the Boxing Federation of India’s (BFI) decision to use the points system as the criteria for selection for the 2018 CWG. BFI have moved away from the conventional trials method that is used all around the world.

Yesterday, the BFI announced the Indian boxing squad for the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast squad. However to everyone’s surprise Shiva Thapa, who became the first Indian ever to clinch three consecutive Asian medals, snubbed from the team. The reason that was offered was that Manish Kaushik’s points tally was higher than that of Thapa.

Vijender who is the only Indian to win a medal at the Olympics in boxing called out the selection procedure and questioned why BFI had moved away from the original procedure that is still used worldwide.

"During my amateur days, I don't recall a single instance of trials not taking place. It's a well-established system that is followed all across the world. Trials are always good to assess who is in best shape immediately before an event," Vijender Singh said in an interview with PTI.

"I am not comfortable with this idea of not having trials. Let's see how things work out for us after this."

Vijender wasn’t the only one who criticized the new process. Jitender Kumar, who won a medal at the 2006 CWG, also voiced his support for the trials stating that he would not have made it to the Games because Mohammed Ali Qamar and Balbir had more points than him before the tournament.

"Looking at the entire process, I wonder what would I have done before the 2006 Commonwealth Games. I had the likes of Mohammed Ali Qamar and Balbir Singh ahead of me and had it not been for trials, I would have never been able to make the CWG squad," recalls Jitender Kumar added.

"If a similar system was in place then, I would have never made any breakthrough. I wonder how things work."