Manoj Kumar Raises Questions Over Fairness in BFI’s New Boxer Selection Process

New Delhi: Former Commonwealth Games gold medallist Manoj Kumar has expressed concerns over the transparency of the new athlete assessment system introduced by the Boxing Federation of India for selecting boxers for upcoming international events, including the 2026 Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.

Reacting to the federation’s latest notification, Manoj Kumar questioned why former players, Arjuna Awardees, Dronacharya Awardees, and Olympians were not involved in the monitoring or assessment process.

In a post on X, he said the entire selection process had been restricted to the head coach, judges, and federation officials. He asked why experienced former athletes and award winners were not included as observers or selection monitors to ensure greater transparency.

The former boxer also stressed that the involvement of senior names like Olympic bronze medallist Vijender Singh and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Akhil Kumar could have strengthened players’ confidence in the fairness of the process.

Earlier, the BFI announced a revised evaluation system for elite national campers at NS NIS Patiala, scheduled from May 13 to 15. Under the new format, assessments will be conducted through sparring bouts judged using a five-member scoring panel consisting of one head coach and four judges.

The federation stated that scores would be announced immediately after each sparring contest, similar to official boxing competitions, in an effort to improve transparency and fairness.

BFI also clarified that the earlier marking system would no longer apply. Scores from recent strength and conditioning tests, along with evaluations related to sports science, weight management, health management, and attendance, have been declared null and void.

According to BFI secretary Pramod Kumar, the revised assessment process based entirely on sparring performance will now determine selections for the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, and other international competitions.

With inputs from IANS