India at Paris Olympics: Indian Boxing Team Bouts With 'Mystery Illness' in Germany; One Boxer Hospitalised

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A mysterious illness has hit hard one of the five members of the Indian boxing contingent based out of the German city of Saarbrucken to prepare for the Paris Olympics 2024 starting July 26 in France.

Haryana's 21-year-old Asian Games bronze medalist in women's 54kg, Preeti Panwar, was unable to practice with the team on arrival in Germany due to illness. She (Preeti) was hospitalised for three days and returned to the team's training camp earlier this week.

While Preeti fitness looks doubtful for optimum performance in the high voltage boxing competition in Paris, Boxing Federation of India (BFI) secretary general, Hemanta Kumar Kalita, played down the illness issue saying all was good with the Indian boxing team in Germany. "There are minor issues but not worrisome," he said over the phone to myKhel.

An official of the BFI familiar with the development said Preeti hasn't started practicing in an earnest way due to an illness, but didn't elaborate what went wrong. "She (Preeti) has just ten days to recover fully and regain her prime fitness," the BFI official said on condition of anonymity, adding she (Preeti) also has to maintain her body weight.

Even 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games bronze medalist, Lovlina Borgohain (75kg), has been nursing low back pain in the camp, an official of the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) familiar with the development said.

The boxing competition starts at the Paris Olympic Games on July 27 and concludes on August 10. The five-member Indian contingent arrived in Germany on June 28 for less than a month-long training camp. The Indian boxing team will depart for Paris on July 22.

Several national teams including hosts Germany and Ireland are based in Saarbrucken to prepare for the Olympic Games. "The camp in Germany was overall good exposure for the Indian team ahead of the Olympic Games," Kalita added.

Preeti had won a ticket to the Paris Olympic Games at the delayed 2022 Asian Games held last year in China. Two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen (50kg) and Jasmine Lamboria (57kg) are the other two female boxers in the camp. Nishant Dev (71kg) is the only male boxer in the camp.

Amit Panghal (men's 51kg) has preferred to practice in India and is expected to join the Indian team in Paris a few days before the boxing competition starts.

On personal coaching having accommodation at the Games Village, Kalita said only those officials/coaches whose names were on the long list given to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) would be eligible to stay. "I doubt Panghal's personal coach would get space at the Games Village," he added.