The Indian boxing team's preparations for the World Championships in Liverpool are facing significant disruption due to visa delays, hindering their planned training camp in Sheffield, UK. The World Championships are scheduled to take place from September 4 to 14.
While four women boxers and some coaching staff have successfully reached the UK, a significant portion of the contingent, including the 10-member men's team and six additional women pugilists, remain in India at the National Institute of Sports (NIS) in Patiala, awaiting visa clearances. This multinational training camp was scheduled to run from August 17 to September 1 and is considered a crucial preparatory step for the World Championships. The team was originally scheduled to depart on Sunday.
The absence of the male boxers has left them with limited coaching support, as only one coach is currently available to them. Head coach Dharmendra Yadav and two other coaches are already in Sheffield. Yadav expressed his concern, stating that the team had to cancel sparring sessions, which were scheduled to begin on Wednesday, due to the uncertainty surrounding the arrival of the remaining boxers.
The Boxing Federation of India's Interim Committee is actively working to resolve the visa issues, maintaining close contact with the British Embassy, the Sports Ministry, and the Sports Authority of India. According to committee member Col Arun Malik, the visa process is largely automated, which has limited the impact of interventions thus far. However, he added that three more visas have been issued, bringing the total number of team members in England to twelve, including four women boxers. Malik assured that all logistical arrangements are in place to ensure the remaining players can travel to England without delay as soon as the visa situation is resolved and that the organization remains optimistic that the pending cases will be resolved soon, allowing the entire team to participate in the camp.
The women boxers who have already reached Sheffield include Nikhat Zareen, a two-time world champion, along with Meenakshi, Pooja Rani, and Nupur Sheoran. Meanwhile, prominent names like Olympic medalist Lovlina Borgohain, Commonwealth Games medalist Jaismine Lamboria, and Asian Games medalist Narender are still in Patiala. The training camp in Sheffield is expected to host boxers from various countries, including Ireland, France, Germany, Uzbekistan, USA, and Poland.
This is not the first time that visa issues have affected Indian boxers' training plans. In 2017, a planned training trip to the United States was canceled due to visa complications. Similarly, in 2011, Olympic bronze medalist Vijender Singh and Dinesh Kumar missed a training camp in France due to visa delays, forcing them to head directly to the World Championships in Azerbaijan.
