Boxing Federation of Tanzania (BFT) will step up preparations for the Commonwealth Games to be held in Glasgow, Scotland from July 23 to August 3, this year.
BFT vice-chairman Lukelo Wililo said in Dar es Salaam the national boxing team players will be involved in various local and international tournaments, including Mandela Open Boxing (MOB) competition that will take place at Tanganyika Packers grounds in Dar es Salaam next month.
He said other international competitions the national team intends to take part is the African Youth Boxing Championships which will take place in Botswana and the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) World Boxing Championships to be held in Bulgaria.
“The national boxing team currently has 22 players and it is going on with training. We plan to get about 75 boxers through these local tournaments to join in the national team,” Wililo said.
The MOB competition, according to Wililo, is designed to honour the late Nelson Madiba Mandela.
It is organised by BFT and will involve a total of 100 boxers from all Tanzania Mainland regions. He said five regions including Tanga, Iringa, Kigoma, Argusha and Kagera have already confirmed participation in the tournament set for February 1 to 5.
Wililo added that they are looking for a sponsor who will bankroll the tournament. Boxing is among major sports that had previously made the country proud.
Michael Yombayomba won a gold medal at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a feat that no other Tanzanian boxer has repeated.
By JIMMY LWANGILI, Tanzania Daily News
