Indian boxer Deepali Thapa made history by becoming the first-ever Asian Schoolgirl Champion, leading India to secure seven female titles at the Asian Championships. In the 33kg weight category, Thapa defeated Kazakhstan’s Anelya Ordabek in the semi-finals and went on to face Ukraine’s Liudmyla Vasylchenko in the final. Thapa, who had both height and skill advantages, dominated the match to claim the historic gold medal- the first ever awarded in the ASBC Asian Schoolboys Boxing Championships to a female boxer. In the 35kg category, Kazakhstan’s Assel Jalimbekova faced India’s Bhoomi in the final. Bhoomi, who displayed excellent technical skills, steadily outperformed her opponent to secure India’s second title.

Nischal Sharma continued India’s winning streak in the 37kg weight class, overcoming Ukraine’s Maria Matsiura in a closely contested final. Sharma used smart tactics to regain control in the third round and claim India’s third title.

In the 40kg final, Ukraine’s Oleksandra Cherevata defeated India’s Laxmi Manjunath Lamani. Despite Lamani’s aggressive start, Cherevata’s height advantage and stamina gave her the edge in the final round, securing Ukraine’s first gold in the tournament.

India’s Rakhi won the 43kg title by defeating Ukraine’s Veronika Holub, using close-distance strategies and finishing the bout strong to earn India’s fourth title.

In the 46kg category, Ukraine’s Maria Rafalska won a highly anticipated final against Kazakhstan’s Lashyn Dauletzhan. Despite Dauletzhan’s height advantage and defensive skills, Rafalska’s determination led her to victory.

Kazakhstan’s Nuraiym Kudaybergen claimed her country’s first gold in the 49kg category by defeating Ukraine’s Kateryna Smolkina. Kudaybergen controlled the bout from the start with her effective jabs and solid defense.

In the 52kg final, India’s Naitik showcased her stamina and skill to win against Kazakhstan’s Arina Orazymbet, adding another title to India’s tally.

Other notable performances included Ukraine’s Anhelina Rumiantseva, who won the 55kg title, and Kazakhstan’s Ailin Khodzhamberdiyeva, who triumphed in the 58kg final. Kazakhstan’s Ayaulym Ospanova also claimed victory in the 61kg category by overpowering India’s Diya in a dominant performance.

Kazakhstan’s Madina Nurmanova won the 64kg title after a hard-fought match against Ukraine’s Ksenia Kotsokhub. In the 67kg final, India’s Trushana Vinayak Mohite secured a comfortable victory over Ukraine’s Anna Hornostal, while Kazakhstan’s Diana Nadyrbek won the 70kg title by defeating India’s Manshi Malik.

The day concluded with India’s Gurseerat Kaur winning the last of the 15 titles in the schoolgirls’ category. The Asian Championships featured 26 nations, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine, with standout performances from athletes like Chinese Taipei’s Su Hsin Yu, who impressed the crowd with her skills and charisma.

–IANS

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After announcing India’s aspiration to host the 2036 Olympics in his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked for Indian athletes’ input for the smooth hosting of the quadrennial extravaganza in 2036. Notably, India will be bidding to host the Olympic Games in 2036. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has also initiated the dialogue process with the Future Host Commission (FHC).

The PM had invited the entire Indian contingent from Paris Olympics to join in on the Independence Day celebrations at his residence in New Delhi. While addressing them, he asked athletes, who had competed in previous Olympics, to share their insights and recommendations, which would help the nation prepare to host the Games in 2036.

“India is preparing to host the 2036 Olympics. In this regard, the input from athletes who have played in previous Olympics is very important. You all must have observed and experienced many things. We want to document this and share it with the government so that we don’t miss out on any small details in the preparation for 2036,” PM Modi said.

Further, PM Modi referred to the Indian contingent as an integral part of his “2036 team” and asked the sports ministry to draft a document and thoroughly consider player comments and suggestions.

“In this way, you are an important part of my 2036 team, helping us host an Olympics like no other in the world. I would like the Sports Ministry to prepare a draft and gather detailed feedback from athletes so that we can plan well,” he added.

“You athletes should also give us suggestions on how to improve Indian sports further. Your feedback and suggestions are very important because it’s your responsibility to guide those who will represent the country in the future. You should interact with players on social media. The Sports Ministry can also organise such sessions in different places.

The allotment of hosting rights for the Olympics is done by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) through a detailed host selection process. The IOC has a dedicated body, the Future Host Commission, which deals with this subject.

The interested National Olympics Committees (NOCs) are required to initiate a dialogue with the FHC, which subsequently becomes a continuous dialogue and finally, a targeted dialogue with the selected NOCs.

Once the FHC completes this dialogue, the IOC Executive Board holds an election wherein the members vote for the award of the hosting rights for the concerned Olympic Games.

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who failed a gender eligibility test last year, pummelled her Italian opponent in 46 seconds at the Paris Olympics on Thursday as the controversy threatened to overshadow the sixth day of the Games. It will also renew the debate about the inclusion of competitors in other sports at the Olympics and beyond who have undergone similar eligibility testing. A distraught and hurt Angela Carini shrugged off attempts by Khelif to shake her hand afterwards and the Italian collapsed to her knees and sobbed uncontrollably in the middle of the ring.

Khelif advanced to the quarter-finals of the women’s 66kg category after unloading two strong punches on Carini, who had blood on her shorts and was unable to carry on because of a badly hurt nose.

The one-sided bout sparked an immediate reaction from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who said the fight was “not on an equal footing”.

“I have a big pain in my nose and I said, ‘Stop’. It’s better to avoid keeping going. My nose started dripping (with blood) from the first hit,” said the distressed Carini, who also broke down in tears when talking to reporters.

The 25-year-old sobbed: “I fought very often in the national team. I train with my brother. I’ve always fought against men, but I felt too much pain today.”

Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, who fights on Friday at 57kg, were disqualified from the world championships last year but deemed eligible to box in the women’s competition in Paris.

The IOC website for accredited media in Paris said that the 25-year-old Khelif was disqualified after “elevated levels of testosterone failed to meet the eligibility criteria”.

Both boxed in the women’s event at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.

“I do not agree with the IOC,” said Meloni, during a meeting with Italian athletes in Paris.

“I think that athletes who have male genetic characteristics should not be admitted to women’s competitions.”

Reem Alsalem, the UN special rapporteur on violence against women and girls, wrote on X that Carini “and other female athletes should not have been exposed to this physical and psychological violence based on their sex”.

Khelif and Lin were disqualified from the 2023 world championships in New Delhi, which was run by the International Boxing Association (IBA).

Lin was stripped of her bronze medal after undergoing “biochemical” tests mandated by the IBA.

However, the International Olympic Committee is running the boxing in the French capital because of governance, financial and ethical issues at the IBA.

IOC spokesman Mark Adams told reporters this week: “Everyone competing in the women’s category… is complying with competition eligibility rules.

“They are women in their passports and it’s stated in there that they are female.”

‘Lies’

Khelif was given a huge roar when she came into the North Paris Arena, where there were numerous Algeria fans with the country’s flag.

Before and during the very brief bout they chanted her name, but the action itself was over in a flash.

Khelif stopped only briefly to talk to reporters afterwards, saying: “It’s always satisfying to win in such an important competition, but I remain focused on my goal of a medal.”

Algeria and Taiwan sprang to the defence of their boxers.

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te gave the 28-year-old Lin his public backing.

“Yu-ting’s performances have inspired many Taiwanese players and united Taiwanese people,” he wrote on Facebook.

“Now that she is once again on the international stage, we should stand united and cheer for her.”

Algeria’s Olympic Committee (COA) condemned what it called “malicious and unethical attacks directed against our distinguished athlete, Imane Khelif, by certain foreign media”.

The COA hit out at “lies” that were “completely unfair”.

At least one woman boxer at the Games has spoken out about her concerns.

Australia’s Caitlin Parker is in the 75kg weight class so will not face Khelif or Lin, but she made her stance on the controversy clear.

“I don’t agree with that being allowed, especially in combat sports as it can be incredibly dangerous,” she said.

File photo of Kabilan Sai Ashok.© X/@BFI_official

Lovlina Borgohain wins the silver medal© BFI

Amit Panghal’s comeback to the Indian team culminated in an Olympic quota as the world championships silver medallist boxer qualified for the Paris Games with a quarterfinal win in the 2nd World Qualification Tournament in Bangkok on Sunday. Panghal, India’s lone male world championship silver medallist, notched a hard-fought 5-0 win over China’s Chuang Liu for a ticket to his second Olympic Games. He thus joins the quartet of Nishant Dev (71kg), Nikhat Zareen (50kg), Preeti Pawar (54kg) and Lovlina Borgohain (75kg). All of them have booked Olympic berths.

Panghal had only one shot at making the Paris Olympics and the 2018 Asian Games champion made the most of his opportunity.

The going has been tough for Panghal as he lost his place in the national team on the basis of BFI’s evaluation system to world championship bronze medallist Deepak Bhoria, who competed at the earlier two qualifying events.

Since the Tokyo Olympics, the only big-ticket event that the Haryana boxer has competed in was the Commonwealth Games in 2022, where he won the gold medal.

He also emerged victorious at the prestigious Strandja Memorial tournament earlier this year.

The quarterfinal bout began on a rather sedate note with both boxers trying to assess each other. One minute into the bout, Liu went after Panghal. At an height disadvantage, the Indian struggled to find his range, and he did mange to land a couple of scoring shorts but didn’t engage much.

Trailing 1-4, Panghal, a three-time Asian Championship medallist, changed his strategy. He went on the offensive, beginning the second round on a positive note.

The Chinese boxer retaliated by launching some counterattacking blows but Panghal continued with his punches and ended the round on a high, forcing all five judges to rule in his favour.

In the last three minutes, Liu changed his game and moved closer to Panghal. It was an energy sapping affair as both fighters traded punches, going hammer and tongs at each other. In the end, the former world number one prevailed.

Later in the day, Jaismine Lamboria (57kg) and Sachin Siwach (57kg) will also look to secure Olympic quotas. 

Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Jaismine Lamboria moved within touching distance of a Paris Olympic quota after she registered a dominant victory over Ana Marija Milisic of Switzerland to enter the 57kg quarterfinals of the World Olympic Boxing Qualifier in Bangkok, Thailand. The 22-year-old, who dropped down from 60kg, out-punched Milisic through an unanimous decision (5-0) in the round of 16. With the qualifying tournament offering four quota places in the women’s 57kg weight class, Jaismine will have to win her quarterfinal on Sunday to seal her passage to Paris Games and reclaim the 57kg quota for India.

Parveen Hooda had secured the 57kg quota at the 2023 Asian Games but was suspended for whereabout failure last month, forcing India to surrender the quota.

Jaismine, who had competed in the Asian Games and the first World qualifiers in 60kg, was allowed to compete in the 57kg event as she was listed as reserve for the tournament.

The bout began on a tentative note with both boxers trying to assess each other. Jaismine then showcased her technical superiority as she jabbed Milisic repeatedly.

The Swiss tried to retaliate but Jaismine used her long reach to maintain distance.

Jaismine used a combination of punches on a helpless Milisic as the Swiss was given a standing count. The bout resumed but it was clear which way the decision was going to go.

Sachin goes down in semis, to play Box-Off

In the men’s 57kg, former youth world champion Sachin Siwach gave a good account of himself before going down 0-5 to Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Carlo Paalam of Philippines in the 57kg semifinal.

Sachin will, however, get another chance at securing an Olympic berth as the 57kg has three quotas on offer.

The two losing semifinalists will box-off with each other for the quota on Sunday.

Nishant Dev (71kg, Nikhat Zareen (50kg), Preeti Pawar (54kg) and Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) have already secured their passage to Paris.

Sachin tried hard but was no match for the Filipino boxer who was more aggressive and did not let the Indian settle down.

With Paalam on the offensive from the first second, Sachin was forced to defend.

The Filipino landed several power punches and Sachin lowering his guard did not help his cause as he was pummeled by Paalam.

The Indian was, however, able to land some scoring shots toward the end of the opening round to convince two judges.

Sachin went after Paalam a couple of times as the Filipino boxer slowed down. But after conserving energy he was back to striking the Indian. PTI APA UNG

Amit Panghal landed a series of punches in the third and final round to clinch the win.© AFP

File photo of Indian boxer Nishant Dev.© BFI

File image of Nishant Dev.© X (Twitter)