Sports Authority of India suspends BFI’s assessment camp in Patiala for ‘irregularities’

A day after the Sports Authority of India (SAI) suspended the Boxing Federation of India (BFI)’s assessment camp over alleged irregularities, signs of a resolution emerged after talks between the two sides in which the BFI “agreed to rework the selection criteria”.

The suspension order was issued on Sunday (May 10, 2026) after the BFI failed to respond to SAI’s “persistent queries on irregularities in the selection policy for boxers as well as coaches”, said a well-placed SAI source.

SAI said that it has been “bombarded” with complaints from boxers and coaches who have been adversely affected by the policy and the BFI’s “refusal to give a clear explanation” has not helped matters.

“Several complaints have landed at our doorstep, in which boxers are telling us that at this assessment camp, the bout results were not going to be immediately released. Instead, the BFI’s so-called High Performance Unit (HPU), along with the selection committee, was going to have discussions and then decide who to pick,” the source said.