By ADRIAN MWANZA –
JUST five boxers yesterday flew out to India to take part in the 2018 India Open Boxing tournament after the Zambia Boxing Federation (ZBF) failed to raise the remaining K25, 000 of its budget.
Initially, the ZBF had planned to send 12 boxers from K185, 000 but even after raising 85 per cent of the needed funds, seven boxers were dropped from the trip.
ZBF president Kennedy Mubita announced that the decision to trim the team came about because they had a shortfall of K25, 000.
Mubita said the initial budget for the trip was K185, 000 but that they only managed to raise K160, 000.
Three men and two female boxers had travelled to New Delhi and these are Davey Mwale, Bwalya Lumbwe and team captain Benny Muziyo in men section with the two women boxers being Hilda Ng’andwe and Violet Phiri.
The dropped boxers are Mbachi Kaonga, Nkumbu Silungwe, Emmanuel Ngoma, Evaristo Mulenga, Oriance Lungu, Ben Banda,Juliana Kasonka, Rodwell Ngulube, Sylvester Sampa, Felistus Nkandu and Hilary Kataya.
Ironically, five officials have accompanied the boxers with national coach Wisdon Mudenda to be assisted by Greetings Kaonga while Mubita, a referee and a judge have made the trip.
He however said that the boxers that were picked had the potential to mint medals at the tournament which starts on January 28 in India.
“Despite this hiccup we are going to do our best to ensure that we mint medals even though the competition will be tight,” he said.