Bernard Dunne has been confirmed as Indian boxing's director of high performance on a five-year contract.
Dublin champion Kellie Harrington has said it's Ireland's loss and India's gain as the news was confirmed. 42-year-old Dunne left a similar position with the Irish Amateur Boxing Association in May.
He took extended leave after guiding Ireland's boxing team to two medals at the Tokyo Olympics. Dunne didn't return to his role with the association due to a pre-Games controversy that saw him close to quitting the post - when a document was distributed to the IABA board critical of his stewardship of the high-performance unit.
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The anonymous document criticised the former world champion and recommended he leave his role as IABA high-performance director, and ultimately the Dubliner quit in frustration after five years in the post.
"Ireland's Loss, India's Gain," tweeted Harrington, who won gold in Tokyo and is now into the last 16 of the European Championships.
"To say I am disappointed that we have lost him and we could not do our best to keep him is an understatement. Such a pity. But all the best to Bernard on this new journey."
Dunne replaces Santiago Nieva in the role and the former pro world champion has joined the Indian boxing elite programme at Patiala.
"India has huge boxing talent and its boxers have been performing exceedingly well," Dunne said.
"It will be a great opportunity for me to work with them and contribute to their success. I'm very excited to join the team and take the standards of Indian boxing to a new high altogether."
Boxing Federation of India president Ajay Singh said: "We are delighted to announce Bernard Dunne as the high-performance director of the Indian team. He was a legendary boxer and has also done exceptionally well while working with the Ireland team.
"As a federation, we are focussed on doing everything that is required for our boxers to bring glory to the country. This is a major boost to our aim of winning medals at the Paris Olympics.
"With the amount of experience and success he has under his belt, he is the perfect fit for this role. I'm sure Dunne will guide our boxers to the next level of performance. We welcome him and wish him the best luck."
BFI secretary general Semanta Kumar Kalita added: "Indian boxing has been on the rise and this is our effort in giving them an edge to win more and more medals at the international stage.
"Dunne is a big name in boxing and has helped boxers win medals at big stages. His presence will definitely motivate our boxers."
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