Talking of the crisis and its impact on sports, Nieva said things would never be the same again but asserted that people will not give up on live sports either.
Sagar Ahlawat continued India's medal rush in boxing, joining Amit Panghal and Jasmine in the semi-finals with a dominating win over Seychelles' Keddy Evans Agnes in men's +92kg competition at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on Thursday.
Furious with the three boxers who alleged that trials for the upcoming World Championships were manipulated, Indian Boxing Federation President Abhishek Matoria, said on Friday, disciplinary action will be taken against them if they fail to prove their charges.
Balwinder Beniwal (64kg) was the third Indian boxer to make it to the semi-finals at the 2011 ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships in Incheon, South Korea. However, while the 2008 Youth Commonwealth gold medallist got in line for his second international medal with a resounding triumph, the other three Indian boxers in the fray, on Day 9 of the competition, fell by the wayside.
Indian boxer Sachin Singh (49kg) advanced to the AIBA Youth World Championship finals after notching up an impressive victory in the last-four stage in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Friday.
Just being in the final was enough to fetch him an Olympic berth at the Asian Qualifiers but teen Indian boxer Shiva Thapa (56kg) on Saturday said his target was never just the London ticket as he was desperate to hear the national anthem during the medal ceremony -- played only for the gold-medallists.
'I was the only Indian boxer in the final and I badly wanted to win gold for my country.' 'When the referee raised my hand and I was declared the winner, I could not stop the tears rolling down.'
World championship trials would be held from March 7 to 9, followed by the Asiad trials from March 10 to 13.
Fighting in the American professional circuit could soon be reality for budding Indian pugilists as a new boxing firm will be scouting for fresh talent in the coming days.
'Action for the sake of action never really works, then it's an item number.' 'Action works when the emotional drama and arc of the story moves forward with the action.'
Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) advanced to the quarter-finals in her debut Olympics appearance, defeating German veteran Nadine Apetz in a closely-fought last-16 stage bout, in Tokyo, Tuesday.
Boxers reached Amman from Assisi on February 27 and were found all clear after undergoing the mandatory screening for symptoms. Jordan has so far recorded only one positive case.
'CWG was not that important to me as my main target is Paris'
It turned out to be a field day for India's young pugilists as they punched their way to an unprecedented nine medals, including four gold, in the Golden Glove of Vojvodina -- an international boxing tournament being held in Kikinda, Serbia.
The debutant duo of Gaurav Solanki (52kg) and Manish Kaushik (60kg) advanced to the quarterfinals, continuing Indian boxers' fine preliminary run at the Commonwealth Games, in Gold Coast, on Monday.
Chasing a third successive Asian Games medal, Indian boxer Vikas Krishan (75kg) made a strong start, out-punching Pakistan's Tanveer Ahmed in his pre-quarterfinal bout in Jakarta, on Monday.
Satish Kumar (+91kg) put up a gutsy performance against reigning World champion Bakhodir Jalolov but it was not enough to upstage the rampaging Uzbek and the Indian boxer made a quarter-final exit from the Olympic Games on Sunday.
Debutant boxer Amit Panghal (49kg) continued his sensational run to make the final with a hard-fought win but an injured Vikas Krishan (75kg) had to settle for bronze after being declared medically unfit for his semifinal at the 18th Asian Games, in Jakarta, on Friday.
Sakshi had prevailed 3-2 in the regulation bout but the decision was challenged by the Kazakh team and eventually overturned; Mary Kom marches into final.
Mary Kom, who claimed an unprecedented sixth gold by winning the 48kg summit bout in the Women's World Championships, in New Delhi, said she became a smarter fighter in the later part of her career.
The referee, after one minute and nine seconds in the fifth round, declared the Russian winner as the eight-round game ended in a knockout.
The 25-year-old boxer from Telangana thrashed Thailand's Jitpong Jutamas without breaking a sweat in the 52kg final with the judges scoring the bout 30-27, 29-28, 29-28, 30-27, 29-28 in Nikhat's favour.
Hussamudin, who was competing in his debut World Championships, was scheduled to face Cuba's Saidel Horta in the last four clash.
Bhagwan has been on unpaid leave for the last three years to train Nitu, a two-time World Youth champion.
Vijender Kumar was awarded his middleweight (75 kg) boxing bronze medal on Saturday.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday
Indian boxer Vijender Kumar settled for a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics after being out-punched by Cuban Emilio Correa Bayeaux in the semi-finals of the 75 kg category in Beijing on Friday. The 22-year-old was simply out-thought by his Cuban rival who negated the height and reach advantage of Vijender by fighting from a long range to score an 8-5 win.
Veteran boxer Sarita Devi, who is currently serving a provisional suspension, has found support from cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar who has written a letter to the Sports Minister urging him to support her and ensure that her career is not terminated prematurely.
Commonwealth Games gold medallist weightlifter Achinta Sheuli has been expelled from the Paris Olympics preparatory camp after he was caught entering the women's hostel at night at NIS Patiala.
The continuing administrative logjam worsened into a full-fledged factional tug-of-war while Indian boxing's poster boy, Vijender Singh, found himself at the center of a devastating drug scandal in what was a thoroughly tumultuous year for the country's pugilists.
Tokyo Olympian and 2019 Asian Championships silver medallist Ashish Chaudhary will also be representing the country for the second time and would be keen to add another major medal to his name.
Jeswin Aldrin, who had already qualified for the championships, however missed the cut.
Commonwealth Games silver-medallist L Devendro Singh (52kg) advanced to the final along with the young Ankush Dahiya (60kg) on another mixed day for Indian boxers at the Ulaanbaatar Cup in Mongolia on Saturday.
In women's events, the semi-finalists in the 50kg, 54kg, 57kg, and 60kg as well as the finalists in the 66kg and 75kg will qualify for the Paris Olympics.
Ace Indian boxer Shiva Thapa began his Commonwealth Games campaign on a rousing note by defeating Pakistan's Suleman Baloch in the first round of the 63.5kg category, in Birmingham, on Friday.
'I dedicate this medal to my country for praying for me, for supporting me. My coaches, federation, my sponsors, they have also helped me a lot.
The selection of the Indian team for the World Boxing Championships has run into a controversy with three pugilists, including Arjuna awardee Dinesh Kumar, threatening to take the panel to court even as Olympian Akhil Kumar vowed to sue one of them for dragging his name into the furore.
Asian Games bronze-medallist Satish Kumar (+91kg) and Sumit Sangwan (81kg) notched up facile wins to enter the second round of the International Boxing Association's World Olympic Qualification tournament in Baku.
Just one win away from winning an Olympic medal after a comprehensive victory over his opponent in his pre-quarterfinal bout, Indian boxer Vikas Krishan says he wants nothing less than a gold in the Rio Games.
The Indian women boxing team won two silver and three bronze medals at the Ahmet Comert Cup Boxing Tournament.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances