If there are medals to be won for fighting, arguing, and squabbling in Indian sports administration, many contestants are vying for them. The final winner (pun intended) can be decided inside a boxing ring or in a hockey penalty shootout. To cut a long story short, day in and day out, news of sports administrators engaging in duels on social media, in conventional media, and in courts of law is at an all-time high. You name it, there is a tug-of-war going on, where athletes toin. If anything, India's image as a sporting nation, and its ambition to become a major Olympic host, is being sullied. Look at what is happening in the Boxing Federation of India, led by Ajay Singh. His return to power last year is a classic case of doing things the wrong way. Today, Ajay Singh, a powerful man, faces a no-confidence motion. Several state associations of the BFI want to throw him out. As has become a trend now in Indian sports, torching the courts of law and getting stay orders is now fashionable. Yet, for the BFI rival faction, if that's the right phrase, approaching the Sports Ministry and the Indian Olympic Association on Wednesday for intervention makes one wonder what’s going on. It is clear that the knives are out for Ajay Singh. One should not be surprised if, eventually, an ad hoc committee is put in place by the IOA. The way the BFI is run leaves gaps. The federation is certainly not compliant with the National Sports Governance Act 2025. Amid the storm, it is worth noting that boxing did reasonably well this year at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. It's interesting that several pressing issues still have forced officials to take up the cudgels. After all, Ajay Singh's suspension of secretary Pramod Kumar earlier this month is an extreme step. To be sure, the National Sports Federations in India are not doing their own cause any good by washing dirty linen in public. The sport suffers, and if people say the Government of India is now ‘running’ Indian sport, the federations can blame themselves. Look at Indian hockey: despite India winning two gold medals at the Asian Games and qualifying for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, a big fight is still going on. On one side, President Dilip Tirkey seems to be fighting a lone battle against secretary general Bholanath Singh and his aide, Commander RK Srivastava. Despite Dilip Tirkey issuing a show-cause notice to Srivastava, he has not budged. The fate of the Hockey India League is in limbo. As much as the Government is keen to host more sporting leagues in India, Hockey India remains inert. As regards a ‘harassment’ probe Bholanath Singh faces, nothing has moved forward. Retired High Court Judge Deepa Sharma has not yet held a hearing; the committee members are Vandana Rao, Mamta Kharab and advocate Sitwat Nabi. The grapevine says the Indian Olympic Association treasurer, Sahdev Yadav, has not paid the retired judge, so no hearing has taken place. For the record, it was the Sports Ministry which wanted a committee to probe Bholanath Singh following charges of ‘intimidation and harassment’ which were raised by Asunta Lakra. Within the IOA, it is well known that Sahdev Yadav has balked at President PT Usha, fought with her, and also had run-ins with CEO Raghuram Iyer. Just as Hockey India elections will be held in the next two months, the IOA elections, in December this year, will also be intense. Hopefully, dead wood and all those negative forces who have been trying to trip Dr PT Usha up day in and day out since 2022 will exit. For Indian sport to be seen in a positive light, the massive administrative embarrassment problems must end once and for all. The list is long. Add volleyball, tennis, and even football; all federations are ready for polls. The gloves are off, in the real sense. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Sports Now or Times Network.