Indian Boxers leave for London.

A five member Indian boxing team along with two coaches and a physiotherapist left the capital city of Delhi in the early hours of Tuesday (22 Nov. 11), to partake in London Boxing International Invitational tournament, scheduled to be held from 24-27 November 2011. Following India’s exceptional performances against world class boxers at the AIBA World Boxing Championships in October, where 4 Indian boxers sealed Olympic berths, the tournament will give the Indian pugilists another chance to rub shoulders with the best in the world.

Part of the London prepares series; the London Boxing International Invitational event will witness 104 athletes from 20 nations covering all continents showcasing their skills. The competition, which will be for both men and women, will also allow boxers from around the world a chance to compete at ExCeL, the London 2012 Olympic Boxing venue, for the first time. Eight months before the opening of the mega event next year, this contest will give a fascinating insight for the boxers to get familiarized with venue and the climate.

Indian Boxing Federation Secretary General Brig PK Muralidharan Raja said that the competition in London will help the Indian Boxers prepare well not just for the London Olympics but the for the mega events (Men’s Asian qualifiers, Women’s Asian and World Championship) before the Olympiad as well. He further added, “It’s a great initiative by the London 2012 Organising Committee and will serve as a test event not just for the organisers but for the boxers as well, they will get a taste of the competition and the condition London has to offer. I am sure the boxers will return more confident and enriched with experience”.

Vikas Krishan (69kg) who bagged a bronze medal at the AIBA World championship and became the second Indian ever to win a WC medal after Vijender Singh will be seen in action at the four day event. The 2010 Asian Games Gold medallist, who also secured an Olympic berth is quite keen on participating in the event and believes it will give him an idea of what he can expect at the Olympiad next year. He said, “The 2012 Olympics is going to be my first Olympics and the test event in London will help me prepare mentally and as well as physically, the contest will also help us get familiar with the conditions and the venue”.

In the women’s division five time world champion MC Mary Kom will lead the charge for India. The Asian Games bronze medallist, who has been training at the National Camp since last month, said that this event will be a good exposure for her and will help her get in top shape for the qualifications. She further added,“This tournament will provide a perfect platform to train ourselves for the Asian & World Championships and the Olympics, moreover it will also help them get use to English environment. We might fight against some of our probable opponents in the upcoming championships and this competition will help us judge them better”.

The complete squad is as follows:

S.No	Name	Wt Cat	Unit
1	MC Mary Kom	51 Kg	AIP
2	Pooja Rani	75 Kg	HAR
3	Amandeep Singh	49 Kg	RSPB
4	Vikas Krishan	69 Kg	HAR
5	Dinesh Kumar	81 KG	AIP

Support Staff
1	Jagdish Chander Malik	Coach
2	Bhaskar Chandra Bhatt	Coach
3	Harishankra Verma	Physiotherapist