Irish boxer Bernard Dunne, the high-performance director for Indian boxing, tendered his resignation following a disappointing performance of Indian boxers at the first Olympic boxing qualifier in Italy. None of the nine Indian boxers managed to secure quotas for Paris 2024, leading to Dunne’s resignation.
The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) accepted Dunne’s resignation during a committee meeting chaired by BFI president Ajay Singh, as reported by Olympics.com. Dunne has played an important role in India’s boxing setup since he took over in 2022.
“Bernard Dunne was an integral part of BFI’s set-up but unfortunately, we have to mutually part ways. His resignation was accepted by the committee,” Singh said in a statement.
Under Dunne’s leadership, Indian boxers bagged multiple medals, including at the 2023 Women’s World Championships, 2023 Men’s World Championships, and Asian Games. However, the failure to secure Paris 2024 quotas prompted his resignation.
Dmitrij Dmitruk has been appointed as the new foreign coach following Dunne’s resignation.
Prior to this stint, Dmitruk served as a coach for the Irish Athletic Boxing Association. “India has emerged as a boxing powerhouse in recent times and I am extremely delighted to get the opportunity of coaching this talented group of pugilists. With the experience I have garnered in my career, I am confident that we will continue to achieve similar glory in prestigious tournaments together,” he said, as per the report.
The new setup also includes head coach CA Kuttappa and other experienced coaches like Jai Singh Patil and Durga Prasad Gandhamalla joining the staff.
Indian boxers will next participate in the second World Qualification Tournament in Bangkok, where they will have one final opportunity to secure the remaining eligible nine quotas for Paris 2024.
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