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Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, October 15
Huge row erupted during the selection trials for the Senior National Men’s Boxing Championship at the Sports Complex, Sector 42, on Sunday.
Scores of boxers, their parents and former boxers alleged favouritism and arbitrary selections by Chandigarh Amateur Boxing Association (CABA) president CK Jerath during the trials for the senior nationals, which, they said, were done while flouting all rules and regulations.
Aggrieved boxers alleged that CABA conducted the trials for three specific categories (60kg, 69kg and 75kg) to favour particular candidates without following the due procedure. They also alleged that the trials were held at short notice without any prior intimation.
“It is a norm that the gold medallists of the Chandigarh State Boxing Championship represent the UT in the senior nationals. It is a norm in all other states also,” said Durgesh Kumar, a gold medallist in the recently concluded Chandigarh State Boxing Championship (October 3-4). “Then what was the need to conduct trials, that too, without holding a conditioning camp. If at all, trials were to be conducted, then it should have been for all the 10 weight categories.”
The boxers who took part in the trials alleged that the results were not declared on the spot and were delayed by two-three hours. “The three boxers (Sandeep in 60kg, Ankush Hooda in 69kg and Aditya Mann in 75kg) who have been selected in the trials are from Haryana,” said VS Rawat, a former boxer.
“They have taken dummy admissions in SD College, Sector 32, but do not study here, neither do they train in Chandigarh. They come here just for the trials and get selected. One of the boxers is a son of an influential police officer in Haryana.”
Virender Rana, another senior boxer, said, “Jerath and his cronies have been at the helm of CABA for decades and keep hopping from one post to another. Is there no other person in the city to run the sport? Why is it that central referees and judges during the trials are from SD College only? We will be approaching the court tomorrow.”
Nothing wrong: Jerath
CABA president Jerath denied any wrongdoing. “No player has submitted any written complaint with us. If anyone doubts our selection procedure, he or she can come and crosscheck the entire proceedings. We have recorded the trials and the selection was done on the recommendations of the jury. The complainant boxer lost his bout very clearly. The trials were organised as the same bunch of boxers had complained about the selection earlier.”
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