On Wednesday, the Punjab and Haryana High Court rejected the petition filed by three boxers, stating that it was impractical to have trials at this time because the Asian Games would begin the next week. Among them is silver medalist Amit Panghal, who won the world championships. Scroll down to read High Court Rejects Boxers’ Plea Amid Asian Games.
High Court Rejects Boxers’ Plea Amid Asian Games
On September 23, the Asian Games will get underway in Hangzhou.
Following their exclusion from the Indian team for the Asian Games in July, Panghal (51 kg), national champion Rohit Mor (57 kg), and Commonwealth Games silver medalist Sagar Ahlawat (+92 kg) filed a high court lawsuit against the Boxing Federation of India (BFI). They had demanded that trials be held in their weight divisions and had questioned BFI’s evaluation procedure for choosing the Asian Games squad.
According to fellow petitioner and sports activist Jaipal Dhankhar of Haryana, “Due to the little amount of time left, the court denied the motion to hold trials. On September 23, the Asian Games will begin. The detailed judgment is expected to come in a day or two.”
The three-week review procedure is part of the BFI’s new selection policy, which has been in effect since this year. During this time, boxers are evaluated based on a variety of criteria.
In place of Panghal, Mor, and Ahlawat, respectively, Deepak Bhoria (51 kg), Sachin Siwach (57 kg), and Narender Berwal (+92 kg) have been chosen for the Games.
The boxing events begin on Sunday.
Lawsuit against the Boxing Federation of India (BFI)
Amit Panghal, who won silver in the world championships, and two other athletes were given a show-cause notice by the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) for leaving the national camp without permission the day before they were scheduled to leave for the Asian Games pre-training camp in China.
For the uninitiated, on September 4, three athletes who were on the reserve list for the Asian Games—Amit Panghal (51 kg), Sagar Ahlawat (+ 92 kg), and Rohit Mor (57 kg)—left the national camp at NIS Patiala without getting permission, according to the federation. When PTI contacted the boxers in China, they either declined to comment or weren’t accessible.
