BFI selection criteria questioned after female boxer accuses of favoritism

New Delhi: The Boxing Federation of India (BFI)’s criteria for selecting the national team for the upcoming Asian Championships in Ulaanbaatar on Monday sparked controversy with two leading women boxers Neeraj Phogat and Jyoti Gulia accused of favoritism and rigging the results in the selection of the 20-member team for the Asian Championships scheduled to be held in the Mongolian capital from March 28 to April 11. Push boundaries with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!As per BFI policy, finalists in sanctioned weight categories from Asian competitions will be selected for India’s direct participation in the CWG Glasgow and Aiko Nagoya competitions Asian Gamesto be held later this year. Neeraj and Jyoti both missed out on the chance to compete in Ulaanbaatar after failing the month-long evaluation test conducted by the BFI. Instead of the usual open selection trials for boxers, the federation has introduced a performance-based evaluation process, with BFI officials and coaches having the final say. Former youth world champion Jyoti finished third in the 51kg category behind Nikhat Zareen and Neetu Ganjas. Neeraj, the World Boxing Cup (WBC) finals bronze medalist, lost his spot at the national training camp after being outranked in the 65kg category. The four boxers selected in her weight category are Ankushita Boro, Sneha, Pranjal Yadav and Kajal. “While certain procedures appear to be in compliance with BFI guidelines on paper, in reality, there are clear instances of favoritism, manipulation and abuse of power. The policy has been drafted and implemented in a manner that disproportionately benefits certain first-choice boxers, especially those in service teams, thereby compromising the transparency and fairness of the selection process,” Neeraj wrote in a complaint to SAI Director General (DG) Hari Ranjan Rao. She added: “I ask that your office order a thorough and impartial investigation into the violations described above; establish a high-level independent commission to investigate the selection process, review and revoke the current evaluation process, and restore transparent public trials.” Jyoti also wrote an email to Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) CEO NS Johal, demanding a review of the evaluation and selection process, while alleging favoritism. “During the competition trials, I clearly outperformed my opponents by a clear margin (approximately 15-20 points), which can be objectively verified via official footage. Despite these performances, I placed third in the weight category. This result causes serious concern for me, as it does not appear to reflect the performance demonstrated in the evaluation tests and trials. In the interest of fairness and justice, I request a thorough and unbiased review of my court hearing video, evaluation scores, and evaluation criteria applied to my case. “