New boxing stadium set to pack a punch

With the construction of a boxing stadium of international standards at the Pandit Mohan Lal SD Public School in Sector 32,Chandigarh may turn into the next boxing hub in North India after Bhiwani.

The new stadium is expected to give a major boost to the sport in Chandigarh,which had so far only one boxing ring,at the Sector-42 Multipurpose Hall. With a seating capacity of more than 10,000,the new stadium will be used exclusively for boxing.

The construction work is going on in full swing. Eighty per cent of the work is over while the remaining will be completed in another month, said K K Sharma,a retired Punjab Civil Services officer and chairman-cum-manager of the school.

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While the UT sports department will set up the boxing ring once the stadium is complete,the school will bear all the expenses on its construction,which comes to Rs 12 lakh. The ring is being built in an open area. According to officials,it will be the biggest open stadium in North India,with separate green rooms for men and women. Such facilities are not available in the other open stadiums in this part of the country.

The work on the project started after Dr C K Jerath,secretary,Chandigarh Amateur Boxing Association,received a letter from the UT Director Sports on October 3,2008,asking him for a list of institutes for the installation of a boxing ring.

I recommended S D Public School because it was willing to provide the facilities and bear the expenses. Moreover,the performance of its boxers,too,played a vital role in the selection of this school, said Jerath.

District Sports Officer J S Negi said: Our aim is to promote boxing in the city and we are trying our level best to do whatever we can.

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Once the stadium is in place,the school will provide coaching to 20 budding boxers from the city 16 boys and four girls between the age group of 10 and 14 years. The boxers will be trained under the guidance of qualified coaches Bhagawant Singh and Pandit Shikha.

We will give free coaching,food and accommodation to them. Besides,the international and national boxers coming to the city to participate in the A K Mishra Boxing Championship in March can come and practise here, said K K Sharma,who is also the architect of the stadium.

According to Dr Jerath,the school will organise a sub-junior boxing tournament after the construction work is over and the North Zone Senior Boxing Championship will be held at the boxing stadium in October this year.

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