Indian Boxers Competing In Iran Have No Doctor Or Medical Staff Which Is Simply Appalling
This is not done.
India's core group of top male boxers, competing in the prestigious Makran Cup boxing tournament at Chabahar city in Iran, are without the services of a doctor or other medically trained staff, TOI has learnt.
Specialized medical staff is a mandatory requirement in a contact sport like boxing, where physical injury is common during training and bouts.
The Iran tournament serves as significant preparation for the Asian Championships in Bangkok in April. India's 10-member boxing contingent includes the likes of Commonwealth and Asiad medalists Satish Kumar and Manish Kaushik and India Open gold winner Sanjeet. According to sources, the support staff has an arrangement in mind - in case of injury, they will seek the help of medical personnel attached with other participating nations to attend to Indian boxers.
A separate 12-member senior team, comprising 10 male and two female boxers, is set to travel to the 38th Gee Bee International boxing tournament in Helsinki, Finland from March 7-10, also without medical personnel. This is because the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) has decided to give preference to other support staff, including a video analyst, over a doctor. The Helsinki tournament will feature the likes of former Asian champion and world bronze-medalist Shiva Thapa, youth world champion Sachin Siwach and Asian silver-medalist Sumit Sangwan.
BFI executive director Raj Kumar Sacheti admitted that a doctor should have accompanied the team. "We should send them, but it's not mandatory that in all tournaments, a doctor accompanies the team. We have to see which support staff personnel is more important for a particular tournament. Organisers also limit entry. Like, (if) we are sending a team of 10 boxers, then we can only send three-five coaches, one doctor/ physio and one masseur. So, we decided to send a physio to Iran and the video analyst we have sent as extra official on our own cost. But it's our desire that we should send a doctor full-time."
For the recently-concluded Strandja Memorial tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria - where Indian boxers clinched an impressive seven medals - the BFI had sent the Sports Authority of India (SAI)-appointed doctor at the NIS Patiala centre, Anil Bhan, with the team.
TOI had on Jan 31 reported that national campers at NIS Patiala were without the services of a doctor. The BFI recently engaged a doctor named Pradeep, but, according to sources, he completed his degree in sports medicine only in 2017 and has no prior experience of managing a national-level team.
