Rio Olympics 2016: India Boxers Survive Disqualification After Jersey Controversy

Threatened with disqualification for not wearing vests bearing their country's name, Indian boxers at the ongoing Rio Olympics 2016 have got their kits replaced as mandated by the International Boxing Association (AIBA) and will now compete without any fuss.

India's campaign at Rio 2016 could have gone from bad to worse, after the AIBA had threatened to ban Indian boxers for not wearing jerseys with their country's name written on them.

Manoj Kumar and Vikas Krishan have already won their first bouts while Shiva Thapa will fight in his first bout later today.

Soon after his win on Wednesday Manoj Kumar was warned by the AIBA officials that he will not be allowed to fight his next bout if he doesn't wear a jersey with the name of his country written on the back.

Wearing  kit with your country's name is a statutory requirement in boxing during Olympics. NDTV had learnt that the Indian officials in Rio were making last-minute efforts to have new kits organised. 

"It was pointed out to us and it has been sorted. It is a very normal issue, lot of countries face this problem of their kits not being up to it. In such instances, the organisers themselves provide the replacements," national coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu told PTI.

"Our case has also been sorted and there is no risk of disqualification. Our boys will compete as scheduled and there is no need to worry," he added.

It is worth noting that the Indian boxing federations have been banned by the AIBA since June 2015 and were only provisionally allowed to participate at the Rio Games. Currently, Indian boxing is governed by an ad-hoc body.

(With PTI inputs)