In yet another dramatic turn in Indian amateur boxing administration, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has stepped in to overturn recent unannounced selection trials, officially reinstating Sumit Kundu as India’s primary representative in the men’s 70kg category for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.
The decision effectively reverses the outcome of controversial re-trials conducted by the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) at NIS Patiala just weeks prior, where reserve boxer Deepak Punia had temporarily claimed the starting spot by defeating Kundu in a sudden-death box-off. Following the ministry’s directive, Punia has been relegated back to his original reserve status.
The ministry’s intervention centers on governance protocols and selection integrity. According to official correspondence, sports authorities took a firm stance against altering previously finalized national squads without comprehensive procedural transparency. The BFI had initially finalized a combined contingent for both the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games during nationwide trials held in May.
However, after India’s boxers returned from Glasgow without a podium finish in select weight divisions, the federation convened impromptu bouts for three categories—men’s 70kg, men’s 90kg, and women’s 65kg—citing the need to evaluate current form and maximize medal opportunities in Japan.
While the other contested boxers defended their berths, the 70kg switch immediately raised eyebrows among athletes and governance observers. Ministry officials emphasized that reopening trials outside the officially sanctioned selection window not only disrupts athletes’ targeted training cycles but also risks contravening athlete-selection guidelines established in conjunction with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
With bureaucratic clarity finally restored, Kundu resumes his preparations as the confirmed first-choice entry for the continental showpiece, putting an end to weeks of uncertainty that had clouded the boxing contingent’s build-up to Nagoya.