By Khabar Rojana 
Boxers, coaches and support staff from several teams were left stranded in the cold on Friday night after being asked to vacate their accommodation upon returning from the penultimate day of the Elite National Boxing Championships in Greater Noida.
Multiple teams said their luggage was placed outside their rooms at hostels and lodges, with officials informing them that the bookings were valid only until Friday. The sudden eviction triggered chaos and left athletes scrambling for shelter late in the evening.
The incident put the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) in an embarrassing spot. Attempts by The Indian Express to reach BFI officials initially failed, though the federation later issued a statement claiming that remedial measures had been taken, without explaining how the lapse occurred.
“Immediate steps have been taken to ensure that the affected athletes have been accommodated at the nearest facility at Gautam Buddha University, where suitable sleeping arrangements have been made for the night. The Federation is closely monitoring the situation,” the statement said.
However, relief came only after several contingents had spent hours outdoors in freezing conditions, with temperatures dipping to around 6–7 degrees Celsius. At the time of going to print, some teams were still awaiting accommodation.
The participating teams had been staying at different hostels and lodges near the venue but were forced to search for alternative arrangements after returning from the day’s matches. Teams from Telangana, Kerala, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh were among those affected.
“This happened around 7:30 pm when we returned from the boxing venue. Our players and coaches were told to vacate because the rooms were booked only till today,” a coach said on condition of anonymity. “We are still standing outside the hostel and have no alternative stay.”
The disruption came after a demanding day that featured 40 semifinal bouts. Several teams had finalists scheduled to compete the next day.
“We have a boxer playing in the final tomorrow, and we don’t know what to do. We were slightly late because we were having dinner. This isn’t the first time — something similar happened last night too,” another coach said.
Frustration grew among officials and athletes who questioned why accommodation had not been booked for the full duration of the tournament.
“It is the basic responsibility of the organisers to arrange lodging for travelling teams throughout the event. Our biggest concern is the distress faced by the boxers,” a team official said.
The tournament prospectus states that “Free Lodging & Boarding will be provided to boxers and officials by the organisers.”
Originally scheduled from December 30 to January 7, the championships were postponed to January 4–10 due to poor air quality in the National Capital Region. The event has already faced logistical setbacks, including a five-hour delay on the opening day and allegations of biased refereeing.
Shalu Shalu