The Southern Open Talent Hunt: In a major boost to the preparations for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games later this year, the Boxing Federation of India (BFI), in collaboration with the Rural Electrification Corporation Limited (REC), have organised an elite multinational training camp at the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports in Patiala.
The 13-day dynamic camp, which began on January 29 and will go on till February 10, has been hosted to give the boxers much-needed international exposure ahead of the crucial Olympics qualifiers.
Parveen (57kg), the Asian Games and World Championships 2022 bronze medallist, and men's World Championships bronze medallists Deepak Bhoria (51kg), Mohammed Hussamuddin (57kg) and Nishant Dev (71kg) are among 30 Indian boxers, including 13 female, who are part of the camp which also features seven male and five female boxers from England. Soon, four male boxers from Russia will also join the camp.
“The Boxing Federation of India and REC are committed to the growth of Indian boxing and the multinational camp is a significant step in that direction as it provides players an international exposure, elevating the standard of boxing,” stated Hemanta Kumar Kalita, Secretary General, Boxing Federation of India.
"The camp will also boost their preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympics. It provides a unique opportunity for our athletes to hone their skills, learn new things and build a sense of camaraderie and sportsmanship," he said.
The multinational camp offers a perfect platform for Indian pugilists to prepare for the Olympic Games qualification tournaments as they will work on sharpening their skills while training alongside international boxers.
The reigning national champions Anamika (50kg), Sonia Lather (57kg), Jasmine (60kg) and Pooja Rani (75kg) are the other Indian women boxers participating in the camp. Among men, the 2022 Asian Games bronze medallist Narender (92+kg) and reigning national champions Shiva Thapa (63.5kg), Lakshya Chahar (80kg) and Sanjeet (92kg) are part of the camp.
Besides the multinational camp, BFI in association with REC is also organising open talent hunt programmes to discover and nurture India’s next boxing heroes.
The Southern Open Talent Hunt Programme will be held at the Sri Jayaprakash Narayan National Youth Training Centre in Bengaluru from February 2 to 18.