Colombia's Yeni Arias and Angie Paola Valdez clinched the silver medals in the bantamweight and lightweight categories, respectively.
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The Colombian Boxing Federation has praised the International Boxing Association’s (IBA) financial support program, which helped their country’s team achieve success at the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships held in New Delhi last month. The South American nation received assistance from the program, which supports less fortunate nations in their sporting endeavors. Colombia then went on to claim two silver and two bronze medals among their nine participating athletes.
The team’s head coach, Rafael Iznaga Hernandez, expressed his gratitude to the IBA for their continuous support and their funding for this tournament, as well as other tournaments in the past. He also thanked IBA President Umar Kremlev for his continuous support. Colombia’s preparations for the tournament were halted by a lack of funding, but the President of the Colombian Boxing Federation, Alberto Torres Martinez, found a way to help the team. The lack of funds affected their preparations, but they were able to train harder once the budget was secured. Hernandez stated that prize money is crucial for the athletes, especially for those from low-income families, as it motivates them to continue their training to support their families.
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Colombia’s Yeni Arias and Angie Paola Valdez clinched the silver medals in the bantamweight and lightweight categories, respectively, while Camila Camilo and Ingrit Valencia won bronze in the light welterweight and light flyweight categories, respectively. Hernandez remarked that the girls have already won gold medals at continental championships and that it’s now time for them to achieve world and Olympic gold. He is proud of the country’s boxing development, which starts at the grassroots level. Hernandez expressed his gratitude towards IBA for its support, which enabled the Colombian boxers to buy houses for their parents and themselves.
The International Olympic Committee suspended the International Boxing Association since 2019 and has lost the right to organize the Olympic boxing tournament for the second consecutive Games in Paris 2024 due to concerns regarding alleged corruption, finances, refereeing, and judging. Russian President Kremlev has also allowed Russia and Belarus to compete under their own flag despite the invasion of Ukraine. About eleven countries boycotted the Women’s World Championships in New Delhi. However, the IBA not only offered to fund the participation of affected athletes from the nations that had boycotted the championships but also the nations which were facing financial issues to send their athletes to the prestigious event. Megan de Cler was a boxer from the Netherlands who participated in the event despite her nation boycotting the event.
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