So it is happening. There will be a selection trial between Mary Kom, and Nikhat Zareen. It will most probably be?held in the last week of December.? The winner shall represent India in the 51kg category for the 2020 Tokyo Games qualifiers. This is according to what BFI sources told TOI.
BFI president Ajay Singh got to know the decision from his staff. Mary and Zareen will be in informed soon, said the same sources. Lovlina Borgohain will also come for a trial in the 69kg category.
The decision was reached in a meeting between BFI officebearers on November 7.? SAI officials, including director general Sandeep Pradhan, a sports ministry official and the two foreign coaches, Raffaele Bergamasco and Santiago Nieva were also present.
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The meeting was held at the SAI headquarters. It¡¯s learnt that a BFI office-bearer and two coaches told the officials that the selection policy to pick the Indian contingent for the first Olympic qualifier ¨C to be held in Wuhan, China from February 3 to 14 ¨C was drafted after a detailed discussion with everyone on board, including the president and his office, and the trial rules cannot be changed now.
There won¡¯t be any going back on it and everything is now clear, no confusion at all. The trial will preferably happen after the Indian Boxing League (IBL), which is scheduled from December 2 to 21, 2019,¡± a source informed.
¡°There¡¯s an interesting point. Bergamasco told the gathering that Mary Kom never had a problem giving a trial against Nikhat and all this drama happened following the BFI president¡¯s statement. Mary Kom started backing his statement. In fact, coaches stated that they were always in favour of a trial,¡± the source added.
The controversy erupted after Singh¡¯s statement in the media that the rules should have been the same for both men and women pugilists and all the medal winners at the respective Worlds should automatically be nominated for Wuhan qualifiers.
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The rule stated that only the gold and silver medallists at the women¡¯s Worlds held in Ulan-Ude, Russia will be selected for qualifiers and the bronze winner will have to appear in trials. Mary Kom and Lovlina won bronze at the Worlds.
Mary Kom, 36, had earlier launched a tirade against Nikhat after the 23-year-old approached the sports minister Kiren Rijiju demanding the trial. ¡°Who is she, I don¡¯t know her. What¡¯s her standing (in front of me)?¡± Mary had said.