BOXERS PRIMED FOR DURBAN CHALLENGE
MBABANE – A strong-looking squad of pugilists left the country yesterday morning en route to South Africa, Durban, where they will represent Eswatini in a Mandela Boxing Challenge.
This was revealed by Eswatini Boxing Association (EBA) President Webster Lukhele during the Eswatini Olympic and Commonwealth Games (EOCGA) Gender Equity Forum, held at the Happy Valley Hotel in Ezulwini, this past Saturday. The tournament is set to kick off today. It will run until Sunday.
compete
“We are going to compete in a very big tournament in Durban that will see 47 African countries competing for the ultimate prize. We just want to extend our greatest appreciation to the Eswatini Sport and Recreation Council for making sure that we attend this tournament. We also want to thank our sponsors the Ok Foods, Dixie’s and Cuddle Puddle who made sure that we trained and dressed properly, as we head to this tournament,” Lukhele said. He further mentioned that all sports were important but they were derailed by lack of sponsorship. “We just want to plead with companies out there to come through for us and help us with sponsorship of this sport. It is so painful to me as the president that I sometimes have to go to the extent of digging inside my pocket just to make sure that the sport thrives and becomes successful,” he added. Lukhele also highlighted that if it happened that one of his players came back with a gold medal, he or she would also get a prize of more than E400 000.
prizes
“Big prizes will be won in the tournament, with the first prize being more than E400 000. We plead for support from the country at large. Our wish is to represent the country in the African Championships. We also appreciate the media for the coverage they always give us during our games; it really means a lot, as we also get the opportunity to be recognised and promote the sport as a whole.” Meanwhile, about 11 local boxers will compete in the tournament, three of which are female and the rest are male. At least three coaches are leading the team.
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