As the global population hits eight billion, India is the top contributor, along with China. India alone has a population of about 140 million, and there is no doubt that there are talented people all over the country in every field. Having said that, it is important to note that the country has a history of producing some of the greatest athletes and sportspersons in different sports. However, the topmost priority has always remained cricket, and other sports often fail to get the recognition, support, and respect that they deserve. In the recently held ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championship, 2022, the overall performance of India stood out as one of the best.
The championship was held in Jordan’s capital, Amman. India won 12 medals in total, and female boxers won more laurels for the country. The Asian Boxing Championship is the biggest boxing competition in Asia and started in 1963 in Bangkok, Thailand.
In the 2022 edition of the Asian Boxing Championship, 257 top boxers from 27 countries took part. India won 12 medals in total, of which 4 were gold, 2 were silver, and 6 were bronze. Our boxers, especially our female boxers, who won 7 out of the 12 medals, have made the country proud with their performance. All four gold medals were won by the female boxers. The medals won by Indian female boxers:
In the 52 kg category of the flyweight division in the Asian Elite Boxing Championship, Haryana’s Minakshi clinched the silver medal in her maiden appearance. She locked horns in the finals against Japan’s Konishita Rinka, and the Japanese boxer was able to grab gold for her country.
In the 57-kg category, Haryana’s Preeti Dahiya won bronze for her country. She faced off against Japan’s Irie Sena in the semifinals, which the Japanese boxer won.
In the 63 kg category, India won its first gold. 21-year-old Parveen Hooda from Rohtak District in Haryana defeated Japan’s Kito Mai by 5-0, winning gold for her country. Parveen previously won a gold medal in the South Asian Games in 2019 and a bronze medal in the World Championship in 2022, which was held in Istanbul.
In the 66 kg category, Assam’s Anukushita Boro was outplayed by Uzbekistan’s Khamidova Navbakhor in the semi-final match, as India was able to secure a bronze medal.
India won its second gold in the 75 kg category, where Assam’s Lovlina Boroghain outplayed Uzbekistan’s Ruzmetova Sokhiba by 5-0 in the final match. The match was also important for Lovlina because she has increased her weight from 69 kg to 75 kg so that she can prepare herself for the Paris Olympics. At the Tokyo Olympics held in 2020, Lovlina secured a bronze medal for her country.
India won its third gold in the category of 81 kg where Haryana’s Saweety Boora won against Kazakhastan’s Gulsaya Yerzhan by 5-0. Saweety won silver in the World Championship in 2015 and Bronze in 2016.
India won its fourth gold in the 81+ kg category, where Nagpur’s 19-year-old Alfiya Khan defeated her opponent, Jordan’s Islam Husaili within three minutes of the competition.
The medals won by Indian male boxers in the Asian Elite Boxing Championship, 2022, are as follows:
Gorakhpur’s Govind Sahani won a bronze medal for the country. He locked horns with Kazakhstan’s Sanzhar Tashkenbay in the semifinals, where Kazakhstan emerged victorious.
The second bronze for India was secured by Haryana’s Sumit Kundu who faced Uzbekistan’s Jafarov Saidjamshid where Jafarov emerged victorious. Sumit previously won Gold Medal in Thailand Open in 2022.
India secured one more bronze in the 92+ kg category. Haryana’s Narender Berwal was outplayed in the semi-finals by Uzbekistan’s Mullojonov Lazizbek. Narender serves in the Indian Army and is a junior commissioned officer. He was a gold medalist in the South Asian Games of 2019.
Telangana’s Mohammad Hussamuddin secured bronze as he could not compete in the semi-finals due to an injury, and his opponent entered the finals through a walkover.
Assam’s Shiva Thapa won Silver in the 63.5 kg category. He played in the finals against Uzbekistan’s Abdullaev Ruslan but the match couldn’t be completed due to Thapa’s knee injury. This was his 6th medal. He was a gold medalist in 2013, a Silver Medalist in 2015 and 2019 and a bronze medalist in 2017 and 2021.
Despite top-notch performances by the Indian boxers in the Asian Boxing Championship in 2022, they failed to grab much of the national media’s attention, and this was not the first time. Cricket got full attention during the Asia Cup and the recently concluded t20 World Cup, but there was not much buzz around social media for our boxers, who made the nation proud despite little support from the people.
Cricket is considered a religion in the country as it is passionately loved, watched, and talked about, and Indians have always been great supporters of the game, which is a great sign, but it is a matter of concern that it overshadows all the other sports played in the country, and that is what hampers India’s performances on the big stages like the Olympics.
We complain that India is not able to grab many medals in the Olympics despite having the highest population in the world, but it has much to do with the facilities and attention that other sports and sportspeople get in the country. Due to the low viewership, the revenue generated is so little that the respective boards are not able to keep players and athletes in a good physical and mental state.
The media has many roles to play and is one of the best mediums to create hype and interest for different sports, but it doesn’t do so as it doesn’t fetch them much TRP when compared to cricket. Every sport deserves equal love and a decent amount of coverage from the media, even if it is not equal to cricket. But sadly, this is not the case and is a matter of concern as the sports culture of the country gets hampered. In the future, a day may come when the country is known only for cricket, which is not a good sign.
