Financial assistance for boxing contingent to compete in Strandja 2022 approved

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has sanctioned the participation of the Indian boxing contingent to compete at the Strandja Memorial tournament.

The contingent comprises eight male boxers and 12 female boxers. Financial assistance has been approved at full cost to the Government of India. Five support staff from the women’s team and four from the men’s team have also been cleared to travel at a cost to the government.

The tournament will begin on February 18. Senior women's boxing national coach Bhaskar Bhatt mentioned that the tournament will act as a good litmus test ahead of the World Championships this year. The Commonwealth Games and Asian Games will take place in 2022 as well.

Bhatt told SAI:

“Strandja is one of the oldest and toughest boxing tournaments. It is a development tournament for us before the Worlds and we hope to check out those few things that we are expecting to witness from this competition.”

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He added that the focus will be on three parameters and that this tournament will help the team assess the boxers ahead of an action-packed season. Bhatt added:

“We are focused on three parameters – physical preparation, technical preparation, and ring craft. Our boxers will be playing for four to five days continuously and we will monitor how they perform in the rounds.”

He went on to say:

“From a technical standpoint, we want to see where the boxers stand now and how we can make them better ahead of the upcoming tournaments. Similarly, we want to focus on the ring tactics and how the boxer is implementing what she is taught in the training.”

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Indian boxing performance at Strandja

India won two medals, silver by Deepak Kumar and a bronze by Naveen Boora, in the last edition of the Strandja event. Bhatt is content with the evolution of Indian boxing over the years and the assistance from the Sports Authority of India as well as the Boxing Federation of India.

“SAI has given us all the facilities possible, including scientific support. We have been given complete directions to cater to the athlete in the best way possible. The BFI, too, has been supportive of our day-to-day work,” he said.

Bhatt added:

“We have a core group of boxers as well as TOPS development boxers today. All these groups have been made so that the boxers can get all the possible facilities and it is also the boxers’ hard work that results in them getting all the support.”

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Turning the focus to a flurry of competition this year, the coach added:

“There are so many tournaments with short gaps this year and we have many upcoming boxers. Even if they don’t perform this year, I feel the batch that started in 2017 in Rohtak has a lot of potential. By the 2024 Olympics, they will be polished and improved, and we really hope we can see a big result.”

The Strandja event is likely to take place from February 18 until the end of the month.

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