Boxers have been allowed to resume training at the National Institute of Sport (NIS) in Patiala. The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) said that the top boxers in the country who are in the mix for an Olympic qualification can now come to the facility if they feel comfortable doing so.
"We have offered the basic facilities that are required. From the federation point of view we have done what we need to do but our boxers' safety is paramount in everything that we do. So if the boxers are uncomfortable or if they feel it is not safe, it is not compulsory for them to come," BFI Secretary General Jay Kowli told IANS.
No dates have been decided for a training camp to be held however. "There are different schools of thought. One of our high performance directors feels that it is not yet time for training to begin, to which I said that I agree. But then some of our boxers say that they feel it is time to get back to the facilities so we won't stop them," said Kowli.
The BFI had earlier planned for the boxers to start training at NIS on June 10. However NIS did not allow for that to happen after which some of the boxers were shifted to JSW's Inspire Institute of Sport in Bellary, Karnataka.
The point was raised during Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju's meeting with the BFI alongwith representatives of 14 other National Sports Federations on June 23. Men's boxing High Performance Director Santiago Nieva has been stuck at NIS for the duration of the lockdown and could not join his wards in Bellary.
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