The international boxing tournament is scheduled to be held from May 9-14. In the previous edition of the tournament, India returned with one gold medal and two bronze medals.
Naveen Kumar (52 kg) who won the gold in the fly weight division would look to defend his title. For the 15-year-old from Haryana, the title won in Baku holds great importance, as it provided him the impetus to do well at the Junior World Boxing Championships, where he bagged a silver medal.
Bronze medallist at the 2011 Junior World Boxing Championships Sandeep Kumar (66kg) will also be seen in action at the tournament along with the likes of Manish Kaushik (57kg) and Shyam Kumar Kakra (48kg).
Coach-in-charge of the junior men's team Mahendra Singh Dhaka, under whose wings all seven London Olympic qualified boxers have trained at some point or the other, believes this is where talent is first unearthed and nurtured.
"This level of the sport plays a vital role in the professional development of a boxer or any athlete for that matter, and the international exposure received at this level makes a big difference," he said.
"We have regularly participated and done well in this tournament. It has been a part of our long term development programme for quite some time now. The event makes for a fine competition as a lot of high quality boxers from around the world participate. This time also we are looking to get good match practice for our boys through this event and it will also help our preparations for the Children of Asia Games and the Asian Championships later this year," he added.
The Team:
Shyam Kumar Kakra (48kg); Laldinmawia (50kg); Naveen Kumar (52kg); Manish Kaushik (57kg); Deepak Pahal (60kg); Manjeet (63kg); Sandeep Kumar (66kg).
