Rings Missing, Chaos Reigns On National Boxing Championships Opening Day: Report

Last Updated:January 05, 2026, 10:31 IST

National Boxing Championships in Greater Noida faced delays and chaos as rings weren't ready, with logistical problems on opening day.

Preeti, in red, competes against Italy's Sirine Charrabi during the women's 54kg final match at the World Boxing Cup Finals 2025, in Greater Noida (Picture credit: PTI)

The National Boxing Championships in the national capital got off on the wrong footing as the rings were not ready on time and poor planning was visible on the opening day, which was Sunday, January 4, according to a report in The Times of India.

The nation’s top boxers were kept waiting for hours as the opening day of the Elite Men & Women National Boxing Championships in Greater Noida descended into chaos. Officials blamed logistical problems for a delay of over four hours before the competition could start.

The tournament, meant to be a landmark occasion with the men’s and women’s national championships held together for the first time, was scheduled to start at 2 pm at Gautam Buddha University.

Instead, the day was marked by prolonged uncertainty and poor preparation.

Even basic infrastructure was lacking. Three competition rings were supposed to be ready on the opening day, but only one was set up by around 4 pm and that too had to be dismantled and reassembled after a technical fault was detected.

As a result, the first of the 80 scheduled bouts, 38 in the women’s section and 42 in the men’s, started only at 6.30 pm, with women boxers forced to wait even longer.

As of 8 pm, there was still no clarity on when their bouts would start, with the third ring yet to be assembled and no official communication from organisers.

According to the report, sources said that the organisers couldn’t set up the rings and other equipment overnight as the gate of the venue, Gautam Buddh University in Greater Noida, was locked.

“There were some communication issues and the organisers did not know that the university gates would be closed for the night. So, they had to wait till the next day to set up everything," the source told The Times of India.

“Work only began after payment was made to the vendor," another source told the aforementioned publication.

“The delay was because of certain logistical issues," Boxing Federation of India secretary general Pramod Kumar told PTI.

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