BFI invites application for new foreign coach after disappointing showing in Paris Olympics

Indian boxers fell short of expectations at the Paris Games with all six pugilists, including reigning world champions Nikhat Zareen and Lovlina Borgohain, returning without any medal.

India’s Nikhat Zareen lost early in Paris 2024 Olympics. | Photo Credit: PTI

After a disappointing campaign at the Paris Olympics where the country’s pugilists returned empty-handed, the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) on Tuesday invited applications for a new foreign coach.

Indian boxers fell short of expectations at the Paris Games with all six pugilists, including reigning world champions Nikhat Zareen and Lovlina Borgohain, returning without any medal. India had won a medal -- a bronze -- in the Tokyo Olympics through Borgohain in 69kg.

“The Boxing Federation of India is looking for a foreign boxing coach for their elite national team in the upcoming four years of period,” the BFI advertisement stated.

“The main goal in India is to achieve a top result in the upcoming Olympic Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth and other major competitions.”

“Among the desirable skills, the best candidate could have the best boxing qualification, previous top experience in high performance with elite or youth national teams, produced medals in Olympic, Asian, European or World level, furthermore physically fit to demonstrate the technique to the athletes,” it added.

However, the current foreign coach Dmitry Dmitruk, who was appointed last February, will stay on till the end of his two-year contract.

“We have not even discussed about Dmitry. He will serve his contract,” a BFI source told PTI.

“Generally all coaches are contracted for an Olympic cycle hence we have taken out the ad. We wanted some applications,” the source added.

The term of the new foreign coach will be for a period of four years.

Since the Tokyo Olympics, there have been several appointments and resignations.

Women’s High Performance Director Raffaele Bergamasco was the first to depart right after the Tokyo Games, followed by the men’s HPD Santiago Nieva in May 2022.

Narendra Rana succeeded CA Kuttapa as the men’s head coach, only for Kuttapa to be reinstated later.

Bhaskar Bhatt was briefly appointed as the women’s head coach before he quit the position in June 2023 while HPD Bernard Dunne, who was appointed in October 2022, stepped down from his post four months before the Olympics, leaving Indian boxing in a lurch.

Dmitruk had taken charge after Dunne’s departure.

It is also learnt that the BFI will analyse the performance of the boxers in the Paris Olympics in the coming days.