Indian boxers off to Kazakhstan for pre-Olympics tour

New Delhi: With eyes set on medals in this year’s Olympics, a nine-member Indian men’s boxing team, including six of the seven pugilists who have qualified for the London mega-event, will leave for Kazakhstan later this month for a 15-day training-cum-competition tour. After a stupendous performance at the AIBA Asian Olympic Qualifying Event in Astana – where India bagged three spots for the London Olympics along with two gold medals and three bronze medals – the Indian boxers will indulge in a week-long training camp with the host nation, and then they will participate in the third International Republic of Kazakhstan President’s Cup to be held in Almaty from May 1st to 6. [caption id=“attachment_281689” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“The aim is to provide the qualified boxers more exposure and match practice before the Olympics. Reuters”]  [/caption] The tournament is expected to witness participation from around 15 to 16 countries with quite a few Olympic qualified boxers also in the fray. With the aim to provide the qualified boxers more exposure and match practice before the Olympics, the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) decided to field a team for this event. “This tour is part of the final phase of our preparation for the London Games and it is expected to help the boxers maintain their rhythm and keep match fit,” IABF secretary general P K Muralidharan Raja said in a statement. “All the international camps and competitions that we partake in, in the coming two to three months will play a vital role in determining the kind of results we can expect in London,” he added. Talking about the importance of international tours, Raja said, “These international camps and tours have been very significant in the professional development of Indian boxers.” National coach G S Sandhu agrees with Raja and reckons that international tours has always been a big learning experience for Indian boxers. “There will be joint trainings sessions and sparring bouts with the host country which will be followed by an intense tournament that is expected to see some good boxing nations and also some Olympic qualified boxers,” he said. “Our boys might encounter some probable opponents at London and therefore will be able to size them up close, before the mega event.” Indian boxings’ emerging star Vikas Krishan (69kg), who bagged a bronze medal at the AIBA World championship along with an Olympic quota, will spearhead the Indian challenge in Almaty. Young guns like L Devendro Singh (49kg), Shiva Thapa (56kg), Sumit Sangwan (81kg), and experienced Jai Bhagwan (60kg), Manoj Kumar, all of whom have qualified for the London Games, will also participate in the training-cum-competition tour. Apart from the London-bound boxers, Lakhbeer Singh (69kg), Manpreet Singh (91kg) and Kanwar Preet Singh (91kg) will form the rest of the Indian squad. PTI