The International Boxing Association, or AIBA, unanimously voted to add the Boxing Federation of India as one of its permanent members on Tuesday. The decision, taken after the AIBA’s Extraordinary Congress at Montreux, marks India’s return to the fold after a gap of four years.
India was suspended by the world body in 2012 after the erstwhile Indian Amateur Boxing Federation was accused of “possible manipulation” during its elections. Ajay Singh, president of the newly formed Boxing Federation of India, said, “We are delighted that India is now a full member of AIBA. With this, our boxers will once again have the honour of competing under the Indian flag. BFI’s focus will be to develop the sport and ensure that our country wins laurels in boxing at the international level.”
India recently held its national championships and the AIBA has also offered to host its annual commissions meeting in February 2017. A release also stated that on the back of the championship’s success, India proposed to AIBA president Ching-Kuo Wu about building a state-of-the-art academy in the country.