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Manoj Kumar Slams BFI's New Boxer Selection Process Transparency

Former Commonwealth Games gold medallist Manoj Kumar has questioned the transparency of the Boxing Federation of India's new athlete assessment system. He criticized the exclusion of former players, Arjuna Awardees, Dronacharya Awardees, and Olympians from the monitoring process. Manoj suggested that including experienced names like Vijender Singh and Akhil Kumar could improve trust in the selection process. BFI has introduced a revised evaluation system based on sparring performance with a 5-judge scoring system.

Key Points: Manoj Kumar Questions BFI's New Assessment System

  • Former boxer Manoj Kumar questions BFI's new assessment system transparency
  • New system limits selection to head coach, judges, and federation
  • Excludes former Arjuna Awardees, Dronacharya Awardees, Olympians
  • BFI introduces revised evaluation based on 5-judge sparring scoring
2 min read

'Why were former boxers not included?': Manoj Kumar questions transparency of BFI's new assessment system

Former CWG gold medallist Manoj Kumar questions the Boxing Federation of India's new athlete assessment system, citing lack of transparency and exclusion of former players.

"When it comes to the fairness, transparency, and trust of players in the selection process, the presence of experienced players like Vijender Singh and Akhil Kumar should certainly have been ensured. - Manoj Kumar"

New Delhi, May 13

Former Commonwealth Games gold medallist boxer Manoj Kumar has questioned the transparency of the new athlete assessment system introduced by the Boxing Federation of India for the selection of boxers for upcoming international competitions, including the 2026 Commonwealth Games and Asian Games 2026.

Reacting to the federation's latest notification regarding boxer assessments, Manoj raised questions over the absence of former players, Arjuna Awardees, Dronacharya Awardees, and Olympians from the monitoring process.

"The entire selection process has been kept strictly limited to the head coach, judges, and the federation. Why were former Arjuna Awardees, Dronacharya awardees, Olympians, and senior players not included as observers or selection monitors?" Manoj Kumar wrote on X.

The former boxer further said that the presence of experienced names such as Olympic bronze medallist Vijender Singh and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Akhil Kumar could have helped improve players' trust in the process.

"When it comes to the fairness, transparency, and trust of players in the selection process, the presence of experienced players like Vijender Singh and Akhil Kumar should certainly have been ensured," he added.

BFI earlier announced a revised assessment methodology for elite national campers at NS NIS Patiala from May 13 to 15.

Under the new system, assessment will be done on "a 5-judge scoring system (1 head coach and 4 judges will be used for all sparring bouts to ensure greater transparency and fairness."

"Scores shall be announced immediately after the completion of each sparring bout, in line with the procedure followed during boxing competitions."

BFI also said that marking system followed previously shall not be applicable for the present assessment.

BFI had done strength and conditioning tests on the boxers on Sunday, which will now be declared null and void. "The scores obtained earlier in the sports science tests, weight management, health management, and attendance shall stand withdrawn and shall be treated as null and void," it

"The selection of boxers for the CWG, Asian Games, and other international competitions shall be conducted from 13th May to 15th May of the ongoing elite national campers at NS NIS Patiala. A revised evaluation system based on sparring performance shall be adopted in place of the existing assessment methodology," Secretary Pramod Kumar said in the BFI notification.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

V
Vikram M
Absolutely agree with Manoj. India's boxing system has always had transparency issues. 🙏 The new system may be okay, but without including former champions as observers, how will players feel confident? BFI needs to learn from Indian cricket where legends are part of selection panels.
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Neha E
I think BFI is trying to create a fair system by scrapping old marks and starting fresh with sparring-based assessment. That's good. But why not add a couple of former boxers as observers? It would cost nothing and build so much trust. Small step for transparency, big step for Indian boxing.
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Ananya R
🥊 Manoj has a point. When you have Arjuna Awardees and Olympians from boxing, why not use their expertise? BFI should remember that selection controversies have damaged many Indian sports. Including experienced voices makes the process more credible. Otherwise, doubts will always remain.
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Ramesh W
On one hand, BFI is saying they want transparency with 5-judge system and immediate scoring. That's progressive. But on the other hand, they exclude former champions. 😐 In India, we have seen too many selection scandals. Adding Vijender and Akhil as monitors would be an easy win for everyone.
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Siddharth J
I get what BFI is trying to do - make the process based purely on current sparring performance, not old data. That's fair. But Manoj's concern is valid. When you have legends like Vijender Singh (Olympic medalist!) why wouldn't you involve them? It's about perception as much as reality. BFI should listen.

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