IOA Forms Ad-Hoc Panel for BFI; Federation to Contest

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has formed an ad-hoc committee to manage the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) amid ongoing administrative issues and postponed elections. Although the leadership term for the BFI ended on February 2, 2025, elections still have not been held, raising concerns among athletes, coaches, and stakeholders regarding the federation’s governance and the exclusion of Indian boxers from major national and international competitions. In light of this, IOA President PT Usha announced the establishment of the ad-hoc committee, which is headed by Madhukant Pathak and includes members Rajesh Bhandari, D.P. Bhatt, Shiva Thapa, and Virendra Singh Thakur.

The committee’s responsibilities include addressing complaints, ensuring athlete participation in forthcoming events, and organizing timely and fair elections for new BFI officials. The committee has decided to conduct BFI elections by the end of April and validate state units before appointing a returning officer.

In response to the IOA’s actions, the BFI has indicated plans to legally contest the decision, claiming that the IOA’s interference in its internal affairs is unjustified. The federation cites Article 21.5 of the IOA Constitution, which states that no decision pertaining to NSFs can be made without prior consultation with the relevant international federation. The federation intends to approach the court to dispute the creation of the ad-hoc committee and to validate its proposed election timeline. This legal battle highlights the ongoing conflicts between national sports federations and the IOA concerning governance and independence.

This situation is reminiscent of recent incidents involving the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), where the Delhi High Court reinstated an IOA-appointed ad-hoc committee to handle the WFI’s issues due to administrative and governance concerns. However, around the same time as the setting up of this ad hoc committee, the Delhi High Court set aside IOA’s order to appoint an ad hoc panel to run the Bihar Olympic Association (BOA) on the grounds of its unsatisfactory functioning and election process. BOA stated that IOA’s stance was “unilateral and unconstitutional” since an elected body was replaced without any consultation with the IOA executive committee.

On the international stage, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has granted provisional recognition to World Boxing (WB). This marks a pivotal moment in boxing’s ongoing struggle to maintain its place in the Olympic programme, especially after the International Boxing Association (IBA) lost its IOC recognition in 2023.