‘It will be a tough pathway and hopefully we can qualify as many boxers as possible so we can form a strong team for the Olympics.’
IMAGE: India women’s boxing head coach Santiago Nieva during a training session. Photograph: SAI Media
Key Points
Head coach Santiago Nieva aims to secure early Olympic quotas for the Los Angeles 2028 Games, beginning with the World Championships 2027 in Kazakhstan.
Early qualification will provide the Indian women’s boxing team with ample time for Olympic-specific preparation.
The team’s recent success at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games is attributed to a year-long preparation programme, including international competitions and domestic camps.
Nieva highlights the extensive support structure at the SAI National Centre of Excellence in Patiala, with 40 staff members, including 20 coaches.
Following Indian women’s successful campaign at the 2026 Asian Games, India women’s boxing head coach Santiago Nieva said the focus has already shifted towards securing as many Olympic quotas as possible at the earliest for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
The first major Olympic qualification tournament for the Indian boxers begins at the World Championships 2027 in Kazakhstan.
“The first qualifier will be in Kazakhstan, which is the World Championships, where ideally we get as many quotas there as possible,” Nieva told SAI Media.
Strategic Qualification Pathway
“Later on, there will be the Asian Olympic Qualifier and 2028 will have another two Olympic Qualifiers.”
India’s women boxers came up with a stunning performance at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow earlier this year with six medals including five gold, followed by a three-medal show at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, capping off a wonderful year for coach Nieva and the Indian women pugilists.
The Argentine coach has his priorities set for the Indian team — get as many of his wards qualify for LA 2028 at the earliest stage so that the team gets adequate time for Olympic-specific preparation.
“Ideally if we get to qualify next year early on, we get a good preparation time,” Nieva added. “It will be a tough pathway and hopefully we can qualify as many boxers as possible so we can form a strong team for the Olympics.”
Nieva’s Impact and Support System
Nieva was the High Performance Director of Indian Boxing from 2017 to 2021. His second stint in the Indian Boxing ecosystem got under way in 2025 as the National Women’s Team Head Coach.
Nieva attributed much of the team’s success this calendar year to a year-long preparation programme that included strong international competition, domestic camps and quality sparring.
The Indian women’s boxing team has hustled hard at the Sports Authority of India National Centre of Excellence in Patiala ahead of these major international tourneys this year.
Nieva pointed to the instrumental support structure, mentioning that around 40 people work with the boxers at the SAI centre, including around 20 coaches and another 20 support staff.
“We have a staff of 40 people working with the boxers, around 20 coaches and another additional 20 support staff,” he said.
“We have improvements in all areas, sports science, the boxing hall, the boxing equipment and so on.”
International Training and Future Goals
The set-up, Nieva believes, compares favourably with the best boxing programmes internationally.
“I would say there are not many countries who have better support,” he said.
India also brought the Dominican Republic and Iran teams to Patiala for training before moving to Japan for the final phase, where the boxers were able to get further quality sparring.
“We had a good final preparation in Japan where we also got good sparring. We came very well prepared for the Asian Games. Having said that, we cannot rest on this. We have to continue looking forward and in the end we all want great success at the next Olympics,” Nieva stated.
(SAI Media)