Five reasons why Indian boxing contingent failed to medal at Paris Olympics 2024

Published at :August 21, 2024 at 3:26 PM

Modified at :August 29, 2024 at 3:27 AM

(Courtesy : BFI)

Indian boxing contingent failed to win single medal.

The Indian contingent returned from the Paris Olympics 2024 with a total of six medals – one silver in athletics (javelin throw), three bronze in shooting, and two bronze each in wrestling and men’s hockey.

However, despite high expectations, several sports, including boxing, did not see a positive outcome, with the athletes coming back home without a medal.

With this, let’s look at the five reasons why Indian boxing contingent failed to medal at Paris Olympics 2024 –

Tough early-round draws for Nikhat Zareen and Lovlina Borgohain resulted in exits before the medal rounds

Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Lovlina Borgohain and two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen were both victims of tough draws at the Paris Olympics. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) established an executive board to oversee boxers’ qualification for the Paris Olympics through continental tournaments, due to conflicts with the International Boxing Association (IBA).

As a result, the boxing tournaments organized by the IBA, including the World Championships where Borgohain and Zareen excelled, were not considered for Olympic qualification. While Zareen was unseeded, Lovlina secured the eighth seed in the tournament.

Unfortunately, both Zareen and Borgohain were placed in the same half as the top-seeded Chinese boxers, Wu Yu and Li Qian, meaning they would face them before the semi-finals. It is worth noting that the semi-finalists are assured of a medal in Boxing.

Both Nikhat Zareen and Lovlina Borgohain were unable to overcome the challenge posed by Chinese boxers Yu and Qian in the Round of 16 and quarterfinals, leading to the end of their campaigns. Notably, both Yu and Qian went on to win Olympic gold in their respective events.

Controversial boxing decision involving Nishant Dev

In the men’s 71kg quarterfinals at the Paris Olympics, Nishant Dev faced a tough challenge against Mexico’s Marco Verde, the Pan American Games 2023 gold medalist. Dev lost the bout 1-4, but the match sparked controversy among Indian sports enthusiasts and boxing fans.

Many believed that Dev had performed better than Verde and criticized the scoring system as questionable. Notably, Nishant Dev was just one win away from securing a medal for India at the Paris Olympics.

Defensive play resulted in exit of former World No. #1 Amit Panghal in pre-quarters

After making a return to the Indian squad, Amit Panghal carried the hopes of many Indian boxing enthusiasts who were eager to see him redeem himself at the Paris Olympics 2024, following his round of 16 exit at the Tokyo Olympics.

However, Panghal couldn’t turn things in his favor in Paris. Despite receiving a bye in the opening round, he faced a similar outcome, falling to reigning African Games gold medalist Patrick Chinyemba. His defensive strategy led to a 1-4 loss which once again ended his Olympic journey in the pre-quarterfinals.

Instability in coaching sector

The instability in coaching within the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) can be called as a significant factor behind India’s underwhelming performance at the Paris Olympics 2024. Since the Tokyo Olympics 2020, there have been constant changes in coaching staff, which might have affected the stability, which is required for the preparation of athletes for top events.

Some of the key figures who left their positions were women’s High Performance Director (HPD) Raffaele Bergamasco, men’s High Performance Director Santiago Nieva, resignations from Bhaskar Bhatt and HPD Bernard Dunne. These could be one of the reasons behind the disappointing results of the Indian boxers.

Multiple changes by organization without trials

Deepak Bhoria consistently performed well in the run-up to the Paris Olympics in the men’s 51kg category with the evaluation system that considered both camp performance and international competition results.

However, after Indian male boxers failed to secure an Olympic quota at the World Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament 1, the BFI reassessed the situation. Coaches Dmitry Dmitruk, C.A. Kuttappa, and Dharmendra Yadav selected Amit Panghal and five other boxers to represent India in the second round of qualifiers.

Although Panghal earned a quota in the Qualifiers two, he struggled to make an impact at the Paris Olympics. The BFI’s decisions were made hastily, and no trials were conducted before the Games, which may have contributed to the country’s disappointing performance in Boxing.

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