"We need longer camps" - National junior girls boxing coach Geeta Chanu calls for extended training camps

Geeta Chanu, the national junior girls’ boxing coach, has advocated for extended training camps involving international boxers, particularly from Central Asian countries like Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. She believes that such exposure will greatly benefit the development of boxing in India, especially at the grassroots level.

Chanu emphasised the success of countries such as Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in boxing, citing tight collaboration between their individual boxing boards. She also stressed the importance of giving Indian boxers early exposure to foreign competition.

Chanu explained to PTI:

“Central Asian countries conduct combined training and competitions across various age groups, giving their boxers a lot of international exposure from a very young age. Our players face international boxers only in multi-national tournaments,”

The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) recently organised a 15-day REC Combined Multinational Training Camp, which allowed Indian boxers to practice with fighters from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Sri Lanka.

While Geeta Chanu supported this idea, she emphasised the significance of long-term camps for better results.

“We need even longer camps. A 30-day camp would yield more results. In 15 days not everything can be covered, so we want longer durations,” she emphasized.

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Junior World Championship medalists echoes Geeta Chanu words

Junior World Championship gold and silver medallists Payal and Amisha Kerketta echoed Chanu’s sentiments, expressing the need for more extended camps to further enhance their skills.

“At the continental as well as World Championships, we face a lot of Uzbek and Kazakh boxers, so it was good to observe them up close and spar with them at this camp,” said Amisha.

“We wish more such camps are conducted for longer durations like 45 days or a month so that we can learn much more,” added Payal.

Over 150 boxers attended the camp, which was part of SAI's new Khelo India Rising Talent Identification (KRITI) initiative and included representatives from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Sri Lanka.

According to Chanu, exposure tours between Central Asian countries and India are critical for developing fresh talent by giving Indian boxers the opportunity to learn and enhance their skills.

As Deputy Director SAI Sachin K. stated, the goal of such projects is to find athletes at the grassroots level and increase the country's bench strength. With ongoing cooperation and exposure to international competition, Indian boxing hopes to achieve new heights on the global scene.