BFI reconsidering their decision to send boxers for Asian Boxing Championships
Nine Indian boxers have already qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics
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The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) are reconsidering their decision to send its players for the upcoming Asian Championships in Dubai, which starts from May 21, owing to rising Covid-19 cases. Two of the qualified pugilists - Simranjit Kaur and Ashish Kumar have tested positive for Covid-19.
Indian athletes find themselves in a fix in the build-up to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, with preparations hampered to a large extent owing to the current Covid-19 situation. In the same context, Tokyo-bound athletes and other aspirants are facing several hurdles to travel abroad for tournaments.
As per the latest reports, the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) are reconsidering their decision to send their players for the upcoming Asian Championships in Dubai, which starts from May 21, owing to the rising Covid-19 cases. The governing body feels that the health of their players is more important than participating in the upcoming event.
"Taking into account the safety of the boxers we shouldn't send the team as health is more important than competing in an Asian meet that is only of academic interest. Team coaches should not push the boxers. If any boxer tests positive for Covid-19 during the Asian Boxing Championships, it would mean skipping 15 to 20 days of training close to the Tokyo Olympics," said a senior BFI official, to IANS.
Two Olympic-bound pugilists - Simranjit Kaur (women 60 kg) and Ashish Kumar (men's 75kg) tested positive for Covid-19 recently and are recovering from it. The BFI has completely ruled out Simranjit from the Asian Championships, Ashish’s participation is also not confirmed.
