Indian women’s boxing coach Mohammed Ali Qamar feels exposure to international tournaments has helped young boxers grow as athletes and it has also contributed to the rise of Indian boxing in the last few years.
“Now, the young boxers are exposed to international tournaments and they are performing well in the tournaments. Therefore, many boxers have risen in India in the last few years because of the exposure,” said Qamar, India’s first Commonwealth Games gold medalist in boxing.
Qamar said that the Indian boxing management is hoping that more boxers will book their spots at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
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“We are hoping for many Indian boxers to book their spots in the 2020 Olympics. We have performed well in the World Championships and Asian Championships, so we are hoping for a good performance at the Olympics this year,” he said.
The third edition of the Khelo India Youth Games will be held from January 10 to 22 in Guwahati. When asked about the Khelo India Youth Games, Qamar said the level of competition is a great platform for upcoming athletes.
“The Khelo India Youth Games is a great platform. All the athletes, who are U-21 and have not played in nationals, have a chance to showcase their skills in the Khelo India Youth Games. If they perform well in this competition then they have a chance to play in the senior circuit,” said the former boxer.
Explaining how a potential boxer is spotted in India, Qamar said that the management looks at how a young boxer tackles a senior player in competitions such as the nationals.
“We look at how young athletes take on the senior players in a tournament like nationals. We see the margin of the scoreline and how the young player tackled in the bout against a senior boxer. If a young player can tackle well against a senior boxer then we realise that the young player has potential,” signed off Qamar.
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