New Delhi [India], November 28 (ANI): The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) on Friday introduced the appointment of Santiago Nieva because the Head Coach of the Indian Women’s National Boxing Team, marking the return of considered one of world boxing’s most completed high-performance leaders.
The Swedish tactician, who beforehand served as India’s High Performance Director from 2017 to 2021, steps again into the system at a second of unprecedented momentum for Indian girls’s boxing–with the mandate to raise the crew additional because the nation enters a vital new Olympic cycle, as per a press launch from BFI.
The nationwide girls’s crew has produced a collection of landmark leads to latest months, most notably a medal sweep on the World Boxing Cup Finals 2025 in Greater Noida, ending with seven gold, one silver, and two bronze medals, with a number of podiums coming in key Olympic weight classes. With the Los Angeles 2028 cycle intensifying and Olympic parity throughout seven girls’s divisions, Nieva will work on establishing Indian girls as constant world medal contenders throughout all weight classes.
Nieva’s appointment marks a strategic enhance to India’s long-term Olympic preparation, reinforcing the federation’s dedication to high-performance methods, scientific coaching, and world-class teaching requirements.
Speaking on the event, Nieva mentioned, ‘Super excited to come back again to India. I had 5 great years right here in my earlier stint. I’m very a lot wanting ahead to this subsequent chapter, and hopefully, we are able to create one thing massive collectively. I’ve had nice success working with girls boxers prior to now. There is a big potential inside the Indian girls’s crew, and in LA (Olympics 2028), we’ll be aiming for one thing massive and create historical past.’
Nieva brings over 20 years of elite worldwide teaching expertise, having held among the most influential high-performance roles in world boxing. Following his earlier stint with India, he most lately served as National Head Coach and Technical Lead of Boxing Australia’s High Performance Unit. Before that, he spent a number of years shaping Sweden’s nationwide program as Head Coach and Sports Director, guiding athletes throughout World Championships, continental tournaments, Olympic qualifiers, and multisport Games.
On Nieva’s appointment, BFI President Ajay Singh mentioned, ‘Santiago’s appointment alerts an essential step ahead for our girls’s programme. He brings a top-tier mix of technical excellence and worldwide perception that may add super worth to the system. Our athletes have proven they will rise to the world’s hardest platforms, and with Santiago guiding their development, we’re assured of strengthening India’s presence and ambition on the world’s greatest levels.’
Singh additionally recommended the numerous contribution made by D Chandralal, the previous head coach of the Elite Women’s Team, and mentioned that he’ll proceed to stay a vital a part of the Indian teaching crew.
Nieva’s earlier tenure with India left a long-lasting imprint on the nation’s high-performance construction. Under his steering, Indian boxing earned two podium finishes on the 2019 Men’s World Championships–Amit Panghal’s historic silver and Manish Kaushik’s bronze–before the nation fielded its largest-ever Olympic boxing squad at Tokyo 2020, the place Lovlina Borgohain secured a breakthrough bronze. (ANI)