Bergamasco among 20 applicants for boxing's chief coach's role

NEW DELHI: Indian women's team's former high performance director (HPD), Italian Raffaele Bergamasco, has emerged as the frontrunner to take over the reins of the country's boxing as the chief foreign coach, TOI has learnt.
Bergamasco, who had left India on a bitter note after falling out with the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) post the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has sent his application for the coaching job to the sport's national federation.There are 20 other interested candidates.
According to sources, the 53-year-old is open to coaching both the men's and women's teams. BFI had advertised for the coaching position on Aug 9 and the last date to apply for the role was Aug 30. However, it's been learnt that BFI has extended the deadline as it is yet to shortlist and interview candidates. No formal announcement has been made in this regard.
It's also been learnt that the Indian men's team's former HPD, Swedish Santiago Nieva, has also shown interest in the coaching job and is in talks with the boxing federation. He may look to return as HPD. Nieva had shockingly resigned from his position ahead of the Birmingham CWG in 2022 after failing to get a lengthy contract extension. Nieva has since been associated as a coach with Boxing Australia.
The need to hire new foreign coaches arose after BFI sacked both HPD Bernard Dunne and chief coach of the country's elite men's and women's teams, Irishman Dmitry Dmitruk, following India's dismal show at some of the international events.
While Dunne was shown the door in March this year after Indian pugilists failed to secure a single quota place for the Paris Olympics at World boxing qualifiers in Italy, Dmitruk's contract was terminated after boxers' insipid show at the Paris Games where none of the six participating boxers managed to win a medal.
It's been learnt that BFI is yet to receive a formal application for the HPD role, which is what prompted it to extend the date to apply. Bergamasco, who had joined Indian boxing in 2017, was credited with the country's women pugilists' fine performances at the World Championships, CWG and Asian Games and also Lovlina Borgohain's historic bronze in Paris.
Like Nieva, the Italian, too, wanted a lengthy contract extension - till the Hangzhou Asiad in 2023. However, BFI offered him just three months' extension, following which Bergamasco resigned.
It's been learnt that out of 20 applications received by BFI for the chief coach, two are from Cuba - Yusiel Nápoles and Francis Sarduy - and one from Cameroon, Alain Didier Ngatcha, who is currently the chief coach of Cameroon's boxing team.