The Swedish tactician, who previously served as India\u2019s High Performance Director from 2017 to 2021, steps back into the system with the mandate to elevate the team further as the nation enters a crucial new Olympic cycle.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Nieva\u2019s previous tenure with India left a lasting imprint on the country\u2019s high-performance structure.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Under his guidance, Indian boxing earned two podium finishes at the 2019 Men\u2019s World Championships\u2014Amit Panghal\u2019s historic silver and Manish Kaushik\u2019s bronze\u2014before the nation fielded its largest-ever Olympic boxing squad at Tokyo 2020, where Lovlina Borgohain secured the bronze medal.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
With the Los Angeles 2028 cycle intensifying and Olympic parity across seven women\u2019s divisions, Nieva will work on establishing Indian women as consistent global medal contenders across all weight categories.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The national women\u2019s 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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Nieva\u2019s appointment marks a strategic boost to India\u2019s long-term Olympic preparation, reinforcing the federation\u2019s commitment to high-performance systems, scientific training, and world-class coaching standards.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Speaking on the occasion, Nieva said, \u201cSuper 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. 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.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Nieva brings over two decades of elite international coaching experience, having held some of the most influential high-performance roles in world boxing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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\u2019s national program as head coach and sports director, guiding athletes across World Championships, continental tournaments, Olympic qualifiers, and multisport Games.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
On Nieva\u2019s appointment, BFI president Ajay Singh said, \"Santiago\u2019s appointment signals an important step forward for our women\u2019s programme. He brings a top-tier blend of technical excellence and international insight that will add tremendous value to the system.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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\u2019s national program as head coach and sports director, guiding athletes across World Championships, continental tournaments, Olympic qualifiers, and multisport Games.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Singh also commended the significant contribution made by D Chandralal, the former head coach of Elite Women\u2019s Team, and said that he will continue to remain a very important part of the Indian coaching team.<\/p>\r\n\r\n