Can Indian boxers still qualify for Paris Olympics 2024 after disappointment at 1st World boxing Qualifiers?
No Indian boxers managed to win an Olympic quota place in the recently concluded tournament.
India's Olympic aspirations suffered a major blow after all nine Indian boxers failed to secure a single quota for the Paris Olympics 2024 at the 1st World Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament held in Busto Arsizio, Italy, from March 3 to March 11.
It was a disappointing tournament for the Indians as eight out of nine boxers, including six men and two women, lost in the opening bouts of their respective weight categories. The 2023 World Championships bronze medalist Nishant Dev (71kg) was the lone warrior for the nation at the tournament. He won three bouts but narrowly missed out on the quota after losing in the quarters against the USA's Omari Jones by 1-4.
Notably, only the boxers who reach the semi-final can win the quota places for the country. Till now, Nikhat Zareen, Lovlina Borgohain, Preeti Saipawar, and Parveen Hooda, are the four boxers to have booked Olympic quotas in the 50kg, 75kg, 54kg, and 57kg, through their impressive performance at the Asian Games 2022.
On the other hand, the male boxers haven't been able to earn a single quota in seven weight classes in the two events, the Asian Games and World Boxing Olympic Qualification, where they have competed in so far.
However, the Indian boxers still have another opportunity to qualify for the Paris Olympics as the 2nd World Olympic Boxing Qualification Tournament is slated to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, from May 23 to June 3.
A total of 248 boxers, including 124 men and 124 women, will participate in the 2nd World Olympic Qualification Tournament, where 51 Olympic quotas will be up for grabs. Out of which, 28 quotas will be available for male boxers, while 23 will be available for female boxers. Each National Olympic Committee (NOC) can only enter one athlete in each weight category per gender where they haven't won a quota yet.
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