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Indian Olympic Association (IOA) chief P T Usha on Tuesday defended her decision to appoint an ad-hoc committee for boxing, saying the national federation failed to fulfil its “fundamental responsibilities” in the last one year and her action was necessary to “restore order and ensure proper governance”.
Her statement came in response to IOA vice president Gagan Narang’s letter on February 28 in which the former Olympic bronze-winner accused her of issuing “arbitrary” orders and undermining athletes’ welfare.
Usha’s steadfast position is despite the Delhi High Court’s stay on the IOA’s order. The court issued notice, seeking IOA’s response to a petition filed by the Boxing Federation of India (BFI).
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“There is no truth in your [Narang] assertion that athletes are suffering due to this decision or any alleged arbitrary actions on my part. The decision to appoint an ad-hoc Committee was not arbitrary but a necessary step to restore order, ensure proper governance, and prioritise athlete development. The unfortunate reality is that BFI has failed in fulfilling its fundamental responsibilities, including conducting national championships in the last year,” Usha said in her reply to Narang, who is also a member of the IOA’s Executive Council.
“With the 2026 Asian Games fast approaching, there has been little to no effort to identify fresh talent, select promising boxers, and implement structured training programs to enhance India’s medal prospects,” added Usha.
Narang had written to her seeking a withdrawal of her “arbitrary” act of forming an ad-hoc committee to run BFI’s affairs.
On February 24, the IOA formed a five-member ad-hoc panel to oversee boxing in the country on the grounds that the BFI had failed to hold elections on time.
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