Indian sports wrap, January 7: Refereeing controversies dominates day four of Nationals Boxing C’ships

BOXING

While the top names continued to march ahead inside the ring, refereeing continued to raise questions on Day Four of the Elite Men and Women National Boxing Championships on Wednesday.

A bout was abandoned and another saw a boxer literally sinking his teeth into his opponent even as the officials continued to insist that everything was fine. Amidst all this, the favourites won their respective contests easily to advance to the quarterfinals.

Pawan Bartwal, silver medalist at the recent World Boxing Cup finals, was leading after two close rounds against Lalit of All India Police Sports Control Board when the match was declared abandoned and awarded to Pawan.

The bout had been acrimonious from the beginning, with AIPSCB officials questioning the refereeing after the judges awarded both rounds 3-2 to Pawan. While the Technical Director, Rajan Sharma, only said that he would submit a complete report to the BFI, officials from both sides had their versions.

“Lalit was tired because of which his coach refused to get out of the ring and he did not come in even after the judges sounded the time-up warning. That is not allowed,” a services official claimed. Several AIPSCB people entered the ring to protest the decision. “Our boxer was ready to play,” the Police side insisted.

“In the Bantamweight (50–55 kg) bout between Pawan (SSCB) and Lalit (AIPSCB), the boxer from the Police contingent was officially declared abandoned in accordance with competition rules after he did not turn up for the third round of the bout…,” the BFI later said in an official statement.

Interestingly, there was no video available for the bout with the BFI’s official stream not working for Ring 1. In Ring 2, Ishmeet of RSPB won against Mohit of AIPSCB 5-0 in the 75kg and the railways team later complained of Mohit repeatedly biting their player. “What kind of refereeing is this, he should have been disqualified in the first round itself,” fuming RSPB officials said. The medical officer was later seen taking photographs of the alleged bite marks.

In contrast, the women’s section was sedate with two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen spending less than two minutes inside the ring, the referee stopping contest against Ladakh’s Kulsooma Banoo in the first round. Nitu Ghanghas, having moved up a category to 51kg, stayed on course for a showdown with Nikhat with a 5-0 win against Tamil Nadu’s Kalaivani S Srinivasan M. Minakshi Hooda continued her march towards retaining her title in the 48kg with a 5-0 win against Annu. Reigning 57kg world champion Jaismine Lamboria, however, having received a bye in the opening round, pulled out of her clash with Vinka due to a shoulder injury.

– Uthra Ganesan

ARCHERY

Maharashtra teen Kumkum Mohod ties for top spot in Archery selection trials

Sixteen-year-old Maharashtra archer Kumkum Mohod, ranked 530th in the world, sprung a surprise by tying with the experienced Simranjeet Kaur at the top of the women’s recurve table after completion of three qualification rounds in the first archery selection trials at the Sports Authority of India ground in Kolkata on Wednesday.

Kumkum, who had shot 652 in the first round on Monday, scored 657 and 676 on Wednesday to aggregate 1985. Simranjeet, who also totalled 1985, took the top spot on the basis of shooting more Xs and 10s.

Olympians Deepika Kumari (1984), Ankita Bhakat (1956) and Bhajan Kaur (1931) claimed third, sixth and 12th places respectively.

Teenage National champion and World under-18 champion Sharvari Shende could not make it to Thursday’s round robin stage, which would be followed by elimination matches on Friday.

Atanu Das shot two identical rounds of 686 to tally 2051 and secure the top spot among men. Olympians B. Dhiraj (2034) and Tarundeep Rai (2023) were third and fifth respectively.

In the compound division, former men’s individual World champion Ojas Deotale scored two identical rounds of 710 to sit atop the table with 2134.

V. Jyothi Surekha began the day with 703 before recording 710 and finishing as the women’s number one with 2122.

– Team Sportstar

SAILING

Gusty winds and shifting leaderboards define Day 2 at the 11th India International Regatta

The second day of racing at the SDAT ASAF International Youth Sailing Championship 2026 and the 11th India International Regatta proved even more demanding, as three races were once again completed across all classes under strong and increasingly gusty conditions off the Chennai coast.

Winds remained brisk throughout the day, gusting up to 20 knots, a noticeable increase from Day 1. Race officials attributed the conditions to upper-air circulation off the coast, influenced by the predicted heavy rainfall system over Sri Lanka from January 9. While challenging, the conditions remained raceable and delivered an intense and physical day of sailing.

Unlike the relatively stable opening day, Day 2 saw numerous capsizes and retirements, particularly among less well-honed sailors from India and overseas, as crews were pushed to their limits by the gusts and choppy sea state. The demanding conditions tested fitness, boat handling, and tactical decision-making across fleets.

Aggression at the start line also increased as sailors, now more accustomed to Chennai’s conditions, pushed harder to improve their standings. This resulted in three boats being penalised for false starts across the Optimist and ILCA 4 classes, a combination of stronger winds and heightened competitive intensity as the regatta settled into rhythm.

The tougher day on the water brought significant changes to the leaderboards. In the Optimist Boys category, Indian sailor Krishna of the Royal Madras Yacht Club (RMYC) moved into the lead, replacing the Malaysian sailor who had topped the standings after Day 1.

In the Optimist Girls fleet, Irish sailors now occupy second and third positions, reflecting a closely fought and internationally competitive field.

The ILCA 4 Boys category also saw shifts at the top of the standings; however, the changes played out within the Indian contingent, with local sailors successfully holding off challenges from foreign competitors in one of the regatta’s most competitive classes.

With two demanding days completed, sailors and race officials returned ashore after another long and physically taxing session on the water, fully aware that Chennai’s conditions reward consistency, resilience, and smart risk management. As the regatta progresses, the combination of strong winds, international competition, and evolving strategies continues to deliver high-quality racing.

-Team Sportstar

Published on Jan 07, 2026