Dubai Sports Council hosted a delegation of the UAE Boxing Association earlier this week to discuss preparations for the Asian Boxing Championships, which will be held here from May 21 to June 1 with the support of Dubai Sports Council.

His Excellency Saeed Hareb, Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council, received and met with the visiting delegation, which was headed by Anas Al Otaiba, President of the Asian and UAE Boxing federations and First Deputy to the President of the International Boxing Association, in the presence of Nasser Aman Al Rahma, Assistant Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council, and Hassan Al Hammadi, Secretary General of UAE Boxing Federation, and the two sides discussed the final preparations as well as all the modalities for the Championships.

The Asian Boxing Championships for Elite Men and Women were scheduled to be held in India from May 21, but last week the Asian Boxing Confederation (ASBC) decided to move the event to Dubai due to the worsening COVID-19 crisis in India.

The continental championship will now be held at the Millennium Airport Hotel in Dubai with the UAE Boxing Association and the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) being co-hosts, and Dubai Sports Council will be supporting the event, which will be organised in accordance with all COVID-19 precautionary measures and protocols, as mandated by the authorities.

Besides the hosts, UAE and India, boxers and delegates from more than 25 countries like Afghanistan, Bahrain, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Macau, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Yemen are expected to fly in for the event.

The Championships will, however, be held behind closed doors with no spectators allowed.

Welcoming the Asian Championships to Dubai, HE Saeed Hareb said the decision to move the event to Dubai is reconfirmation of the sporting world’s confidence in the Emirate’s ability to organise top international events in a totally safe environ.

HE Saeed Hareb confirmed the UAE and Dubai are both ready to host events here, both sporting and non-sporting, at short notice even in these challenging times, thanks to the unlimited support of the country’s wise leadership and a dedicated cadre of workers, as well the top-notch support and facilities available here for event organisers and tourists.

He also stressed on Dubai Sports Council’s eagerness to work with national and international sports federations to develop and enhance the status of sports in the country, and contribute to its development at the regional and global level.

Anas Al Otaiba, meanwhile, thanked Dubai Sports Council on the leadership role it plays in the development of sport, and in hosting major tournaments, which leave behind a valuable legacy and play a major role in the promotion and enrichment of the local sports scene as well as internationally.

With the Tokyo Olympic Games scheduled for later this summer, the Asian Boxing Championships will be crucial to the hopes of many Olympic aspirants and they will surely be thankful to Dubai for agreeing to host the event at such a short notice.

The Asian Boxing Confederation (ASBC) had informed its member national federations of the decision to move the championships to Dubai last week, and the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) confirmed the decision later through an official statement.

“In the wake of international travel restrictions to India, the Boxing Federation of India (BFI), in consultation with Asian Boxing Confederation (ASBC), has decided to conduct the upcoming 2021 edition of the ASBC Asian Elite Men and Women Boxing Championships in Dubai,” the BFI said in a statement. “The event will now be organised by BFI in association with UAE Boxing Federation.”

“We were very keen to host the championships in Delhi, but we are left with no options,” Ajay Singh, President of BFI, was quoted as saying in the Indian media.

“Boxers’ safety is the most important concern for us and hence we had to take this decision. We closely monitored the situation and after deliberation with ASBC as well as the Government of India, we decided to conduct the tournament in Dubai.

“We are grateful to UAE for accepting our request and agreeing to co-host on such a short notice. We are thankful to all member federations and ASBC for their cooperation.”