Harpal Singh Bedi / New Delhi
Five time World champion MC Mary Kom was on Wednesday named brand ambassador for the 10th edition of the Wolds Cup to be held here from November 15 and 24.
This announcement was made by the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) at a function where the logo and anthem for the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships was unveiled.
The logo, depicting “fire and women’s empowerment,” was specially designed to bring in the two key elements—the inner strength of a woman and the national colours—together to mark the occasion of India playing hosts to the championships for the second time in the country.
Similarly, the theme of the anthem: “Make some noise, scream and shout! We are here to knock you out!!!” encapsulates every emotion that a boxer goes through when she takes to the ring. The sheer energy of the anthem and its magnitude leaves a deep impact on everyone’s heart and mind alike.
Mary Kom,, seeking her sixth crown of the Women’s World Championship, is eyeing her second gold at home since 2006.
Speaking on the sidelines of the launch, she said that she was looking forward to her participation at home. “This World Championship is special in lot many ways, I would definitely give my best shot and want to live the feeling of winning gold in front of the home crowd,” said the five-time World Champion.’
The elite AIBA event will see the highest participation so far, close to 300 pugilists from 70 countries including Olympic medalists, World and European Champions—all vying for the top honours in keenly-contested bouts as each one of them is expected to put up a high-octane fight across 10 weight categories.
While the Championship starts from November 15, close to 15 teams will be reaching as early as in the first week of next month, from November 3 to get acclimatized to the conditions here. Some of the key countries who are sending their pugilists early include USA, Australia, Ukraine, Germany, Thailand, England and Bulgaria.
Since the inception of the Women’s World Championship in 2001, India had hosted the tournament once in 2006 and had registered the best-ever haul of 8 medals, including 4 gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze. Team India has two veterans in Mary Kom and L.Sarita Devi, who are part of the 2018 edition World Championship.
Lauding the contribution of Mary Kom BFI President Ajay Singh said that the Olympic medallist is an icon not only in the country but also abroad for her perseverance. “Her ability to retain passion and fight with the same aggression is what makes Mary Kom very special. Around the world she has a lot of admirers and everyone respects her for the achievements as they are inspired by her journey. And we too do that.”
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In his message Sports Minister,. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said, “It is with immense delight that I note the arrival of the Boxing World Championship to India. Our athletes, especially our women athletes, have defied all odds to excel in their sports, and women boxers of India are testament to this. They have inspired not only upcoming sports persons, but women in general as well.”
The Squad:
Mary Kom (48 Kg), Pinky Jangra (51 Kg), Manisha Maun (54 Kg), Sonia (57 Kg), L Sarita Devi (60 Kg), Simranjit Kaur (64 Kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69 Kg), Saweety Boora (75 Kg), Bhagyabati Kachari (81 Kg) and Seema Poonia (+81 Kg).
Coaches: Raffaele Bergamasco (Foreign Coach); Shiv Singh (Head Coach) Sandhya Gurung; Md.Ali Qamar; Chhote Lal Yadav; Satvir Kaur.
Support Staff: Dr. Amol Arun Patil (Team Doctor); Aayush Chittaranjan Yekhande (Physiotherapist)
Simon Singh (Video Analyst); Veena Joyel (Massuere)