National Youth Boxing Championships kick off with 800 participants from 33 states in Assam

Our Sports Reeporter

GUWAHATI: The eighth Men's and Women's National Youth Boxing Championship got under way at Assam Don Bosco University in Sonapur on Monday. Around 800 participants, including players, coaches and technical officials from 33 states are taking part in the championship.

Organised by the Assam Amateur Boxing Association (AABA) in collaboration with the Boxing Federation of India (BFI), the championship will run till April 19 and will serve as a selection platform for India's youth teams for the Youth Olympic Games and the Youth World Championships.

The championship was formally inaugurated by Guwahati MP Bijuli Kalita Medhi. Among those present were BFI President Ajay Singh, Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain, junior world champion Ankushita Boro, AABA President Siddhartha Bhattacharya, its Secretary Hemanta Kumar Kalita, and Assam Don Bosco University vice chancellor Fr J Palely.

The host state made a positive start, with two Assam boxers registering wins on the opening day. In the boys' 55kg category, Mohammad Ayan defeated Jharkhand's Shivam Dubey 5-0 to advance to the second round. In the girls' 60kg category, Punsang secured a 4-1 win over Punjab's Samarjit Kaur in her opening bout.

However, it was a mixed day overall for Assam. In the boys' 70kg category, Arman Khan lost to Uttarakhand's Dipesh Singh Adhikari in the first round. In the girls' 51kg category, Sunena Akhtar Amin also bowed out after losing to Mizoram's TC Malsawmkimi.

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