Mr. Ajay Singh – The idea is to host one mega boxing event every year in India

Mr. Ajay Singh is the President of the Indian Boxing Federation who is active in the international boxing stages. His country will be hosting the AIBA Women’s Youth World Boxing Championships in Guwahati in a few weeks while New Delhi will be the organizer of the 2018 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships.
India achieved its first Olympic medal by Vijender Singh in boxing at the Beijing 2008 Games which was the top result of their developments which began in 2001. India achieved several top results in the AIBA and ASBC competitions and their future and potential are bright in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic era.

– Could you please introduce your country’s boxing life?
– Boxing is one of the more popular Olympic sports in India. We have produced a number of top boxers, many of whom have won prestigious medals in important tournaments. We have amassed 51 medals just from Asian Games alone and two Olympic medals as well. Of course, we have our very own Mary Kom, AIBA legend and five-time World Champion, and her successes have spurred many girls to take to the sport.
Here, I must confess that just when it looked like we were on a verge of a major breakthrough (after winning a medal in the London Olympics) we suffered a major setback. Due to internal administrative issues, our boxers couldn’t take part in many international competitions and we lost the momentum. In fact, the sad state of affairs is what prompted me to step in to save the sport.
I took over as the President of the Boxing Federation of India a year back. My top priority was to put politics aside and focus on the sport. This year, we have tried to create a professional setup. We have conducted national championships that were not conducted for years, initiated national training camps for boxers, engaged top coaches and ensured that our boxers participate in all championships around the world. I want to ensure that we have a world class federation in place that produces world-class boxers.

– Would you like to tell us your strategic plans for the future and the key developments in your country?
– The objective is to regain the lost momentum and put India back on the road to success. We want to provide state-of-the-art infrastructure at our training camps so that all our boxers get the best possible training ecosystem in order to become world-class boxers. We will be hosting some of best AIBA events. AIBA has awarded us with the prestigious AIBA World Women’s Boxing Championship for the year 2018 and AIBA World Men’s Championship for the year 2021. And, we will be hosting the AIBA Youth Women’s World Championship and the South Asian Boxing Championship in the months of November and December this year. The idea is to host one mega boxing event in the country every year and revive the interest in the sport once again among our fans and sports lovers. This will showcase our organizational abilities and help our boxers get the right exposure. More importantly, the world will know that we are back.
Our focus is to develop the entire boxing ecosystem. We have hired international coaches, conducted AIBA certification programs for our coaches, referees and judges along with a cut-man course. We are taking active help from sport scientists and nutritionists. In the coming months we will focus a lot more on these aspects.
We have signed a MoU with the Government of India and AIBA to build a world class Boxing Academy in India, along with 8 satellite centers spread across the country.
To revive the interest of boxing fans we have a lot of big ticket events next year onwards including the Women’s World Championship and India Open which will see some of best boxers of the world in action. Our league will also be held next year and will see participation of boxers from across the world and will help provide meaningful remuneration to the entire boxing ecosystem including the players, referees & judges, support staff etc.
We are also working steadfastly on a junior development program. Along with our Technical Director, Mr. Santiago Nieva, we have rolled out a plan that will hunt for talented kids. We have already identified a pool of junior players and are confident that they will start creating waves very soon. Our BFI Coaches and Referees are also being trained from time to time by experts from around the world so that they meet international standards.

– What are the main strengths and issues in your boxing life?
– We Indians are very skilful and that is one of our greatest strengths. The boys and girls, with a little support from the system, quickly grow into strong, determined boxers. In this last one year there have been significant medal wins including Gaurav Bidhuri’s medal indicating the powerhouse Indian Boxing is. We already have three of our elite boxers figuring in the AIBA World Top 10 and it is just a matter of time that more Indians will figure amongst the world’s top boxers.
As for the issues which I would like to look as the further growth of the sport, a dedicated fan base and broadcast of matches is ultimately what will bring additional eyeballs and money to the game. But prior to that, it is key for the Federation to organize tournaments at every level starting right from the district level to prestigious world championships, create a platform of opportunity and provide exposure simultaneously to boxers.