The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) is making the necessary preparations to get the national Olympic training camp running again very soon. Right now, they are just waiting for a formal request to be approved. Once the authorization is granted, training will resume at the Patiala facility to help athletes prepare for next year's Olympics in Japan. The federation is optimistic that the approval will arrive in the coming days, with a top official informing PTI that the paperwork is almost complete and logistical planning is already underway.
The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) is on the groundwork to start the national training camp for Olympic Games in the near future. At the present moment, BFI is waiting on the sanction of a requisite submitted to get approved. Once they get the approval BFI will resume the national training camp at Patiala. The national boxers will take part in the training to prepare for next year’s Olympic event scheduled to take place in Japan. The federation is very confident of getting approval within the next couple of days. A top official said to PTI about the paperwork getting almost done and currently, they are working on the progress of the logistics.
India will be represented by nine qualified boxers at the Olympic Games: Amit Panghal (52kg), M C Mary Kom (51kg), Manish Kaushik (63kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg), Vikas Krishan (69kg), Ashish Kumar (75kg), Pooja Rani (75kg), Satish Kumar (+91kg), and Simranjit Kaur (60kg). The group is expected to convene in Patiala by the first week of July.
According to a BFI official, the training will be conducted as a joint camp for both men and women. This region has served as the primary base for these camps since 2017. Upon arrival, all boxers will enter a mandatory quarantine period featuring regular COVID-19 screenings. The training sessions will officially begin only after the BFI confirms that all players have tested negative.
Since the lockdown brought all sporting activities to a standstill, boxers have been training independently from home. To minimize the risk of virus exposure, athletes were strictly instructed to avoid public boxing rings and rely solely on their own personal equipment for their workouts.
The BFI is hopeful that national competitions can return to their traditional October-November schedule. Additionally, the federation has successfully secured the rights to host the Asian Championships this December. While the BFI originally aimed to start the training camp on June 10, administrative delays in obtaining government permits forced a postponement.