A group of Indian boxers preparing for the upcoming Olympic Games will travel to France and Italy for a 52-day training stint starting next week. This period will combine rigorous training with active participation in competitions. Unfortunately, Mary Kom is unable to attend as she recovers from dengue. The European camp begins on October 15. Mary Kom told the media that she spent the last two weeks battling the illness, and although she is feeling better, she believes it's safer not to travel during the pandemic.
Indian boxers who are to represent their country in next year’s Olympics will be flying to Italy and France for a 52-day training. This training camp will be starting next week and during these 52 days, boxers will also participate in competitions. Meanwhile, Mary Kom has made herself unavailable for this camp since she is currently recovering from dengue. The Europe camp will be commencing on October 15.
Speaking to media Mary Kom said her health was not well for the past two weeks due to dengue. Even though currently she is doing much better now but as decided to not travel amid the pandemic.
Mary Kom shared that she is currently based in Delhi, where she will continue her training regimen. She intends to resume overseas training only next year. This will be her second time representing India at the Tokyo Olympics.
The contingent heading to Europe totals 28 members, comprising 16 boxers (10 men and 6 women) and 12 support staff, including 8 male and 4 female coaches. Of the nine boxers targeting the Olympics, six are participating in this camp: Satish Kumar (+91kg), Ashish Kumar (75kg), Amit Panghal (52kg), Pooja Rani (75kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg), and Simranjit Kaur (60kg). Three Olympic-bound boxers are staying behind: Mary Kom, Manish Kaushik (63kg), who is dealing with an injury, and Vikas Krishan (69kg), who has been training in the USA since last month.
The boxers flying to Italy and France are Satish Kumar (+91kg), Ashish Kumar (75kg), Amit Panghal (52kg), Pooja Rani (75kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) and Simranjit Kaur (60kg). Manish Kaushik (63kg), who is recovering from an injury, Vikas Krishan (69kg), who is been undergoing training in the USA since last month and Mary Kom are the three boxers among the Tokyo-bound list who will be missing this training camp.
From October 15 to December 5, the athletes will be based in Assisi, Italy, for their 52-day camp. During this time, 13 of the 16 boxers will compete in the Alexis Vastine International Tournament in Nantes, France, from October 28 to 30. Following the easing of national lockdown rules, the team has been training in a bio-bubble at the Patiala national camp since August, though they avoided sparring with one another to minimize the risk of virus transmission.
Since the lockdown restrictions were eased by the government across the nation the boxers have been regularly training from August inside a bio-bubble in the national camp at Patiala. But they were restricted from sparring against one another to avoid any risk of transmitting the contagious virus to other boxers.
The upcoming World Olympic qualifying event next year represents the final opportunity for Indian boxers to earn their spot in the Tokyo Olympics.