Nagporewalla to officiate at Olympics

Gaive Nagporewalla is one of eight Asians who have been selected to officiate as ring officials in the boxing discipline of the September 15-October 1 Sydney Olympics.

The 52-year-old Bank of India deputy manager was described as "among the best referee-judges in Asia or even the world" by Maharashtra Boxing Association's president Kishen Narsi.

"He has officiated in two World championships earlier, in Budapest and Houston, but this is the first time he will officiate in the Olympics. He could have done so four years ago at Atlanta, but his name was left out at the last moment," Narsi said.

"I expect him to officiate in one of the finals," added Narsi, a vice-president of the Indian Amateur Boxing Association.

Nagporewalla did his pre-Olympic qualifiers in South Korea in January and at Bangkok in March after which he was picked with 14 others from the continent for a seminar at Almaty in Kazakstan in June.

He then passed the practical, theoretical and physical examinations before making the grade as one of 40 chosen for the millennium Games.

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