Former high-performance director of Indian boxing, Santiago Nieva, returns to India after being appointed the head coach of the Indian women’s national boxing team, the Boxing Federation of India (BFI), on Friday, November 28, 2025.
Following his appointment, Nieva expressing his excitement said, “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.”
He added, “I have had great success working with women boxers in the past. There is a huge potential within the Indian women’s team, and in LA (2028 Olympics), we’ll be aiming for something big and create history.”
Nieva will take the lead in place of the elite women’s team’s former head coach, D. Chandralal. In the recent months, the Indian women’s team has produced some notable performances, including the 2025 World Boxing Cup Finals in Greater Noida. The team finished with seven gold, one silver, and two bronze medals.
Boxing Federation of India President on Nieva’s appointment
Post Nieva’s appointment, Boxing Federation of India (BFI) President Ajay Singh said the announcement comes as a big boost and growth for India’s women’s boxing program.
He said, “Santiago’s appointment signals an important step forward for our women’s programme. He brings a top-tier blend of technical excellence and international insight that will add tremendous value to the system.”
“Our athletes have shown they can rise to the world’s toughest platforms, and with Santiago guiding their progression, we are confident of strengthening India’s presence and ambition at the world’s biggest stages,” he added.
Nieva career prior before head coach appointment
Nieva has previously been part of the Indian boxing men’s team and led them to two podium finishes at the 2019 World Championships that saw Amit Panghal bag a silver and Manish Kaushik a bronze.
He also played a big role in leading India to participate with its largest-ever boxing squad in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, in which Lovlina Borgohain secured a bronze medal. He holds over two decades of international coaching experience in world boxing.
Nieva has spent several years as head coach and sports director of Sweden’s national program and has guided athletes and prepared them for continental tournaments, World Championships, Olympic Games, and multisport events.
Most recently he has served as the head coach and as the technical lead of Boxing Australia’s High-Performance Unit.
(Inputs sourced from NDTV, Olympics)
