The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) has appointed Santiago Nieva as the head coach of the Indian women’s national boxing team, marking the return of one of world boxing’s most accomplished high-performance leaders.
The Swedish tactician, who previously served as India’s High Performance Director from 2017 to 2021, steps back into the system at a moment of unprecedented momentum for Indian women’s boxing – with the mandate to elevate the team further as the nation enters a crucial new Olympic cycle.
National Women’s Boxing Team In Recent Months
Add Zee News as a Preferred Source
The national women’s team has produced a series of landmark results in recent months, most notably a complete medal sweep at the World Boxing Cup Finals 2025 in Greater Noida, finishing with seven gold, one silver, and two bronze medals, with several podiums coming in key Olympic weight categories.
With the Los Angeles 2028 cycle intensifying and Olympic parity across seven women’s divisions, Nieva will work on establishing Indian women as consistent global medal contenders across all weight categories.
Nieva’s appointment marks a strategic boost to India’s long-term Olympic preparation.
“Super excited to come back to India. I had five wonderful years here in my previous stint. I am very much looking forward to this next chapter, and hopefully, we can create something big together. I have had great success working with women boxers in the past,” said Santiago Nieva in a statement issued by Boxing Federation of India (BFI) on Friday.
“There is a huge potential within the Indian women’s team, and in LA (Olympics 2028), we’ll be aiming for something big and create history,” he added.
Santiago Nieva’s International Coaching Experience
Nieva brings over two decades of elite international coaching experience, having held some of the most influential high-performance roles in world boxing. Following his earlier stint with India, he most recently served as national head coach and Technical Lead of Boxing Australia’s High Performance Unit.
Before that, he spent several years shaping Sweden’s national program as Head Coach and Sports Director, guiding athletes across World Championships, continental tournaments, Olympic qualifiers, and multisport Games.
Nieva’s previous tenure with India left a lasting imprint on the country’s high-performance structure. Under his guidance, Indian boxing earned two podium finishes at 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, where Lovlina Borgohain secured a breakthrough bronze.
