Trainers can home in for round two
THE Year of Africa (YoA) programme is continuing in Mdantsane with aplomb with the national elite championships providing a platform for trainers and coaches to impart their expertise.
The programme, which was initiated by world amateur boxing body International Amateur Boxing Association (Aiba), is the legacy project aimed at improving the standard of boxing in the continent.
It started in Togo before touching down to East London with a mobile ring towed by a truck.
Accompanied by the GlovesUp sub-programme which focused on developing boxing at grassroots level by empowering trainers and coaches with entry-level qualifications, the project has now moved to the second phase involving the upgrading of the qualifications of trainers from the African continent.
This week saw coaches and trainers from African countries, such as Uganda, Swaziland, Lesotho and Botswana, to mention but a few, upgrade their qualifications to level star two.
Conducted by instructors Mohammed Touma from Egypt and his US counterpart, the coaching, were described as insightful by representatives from the African countries.
“This is exactly what our coaches and trainers need in order to boost the standard of boxing in our respective countries,” Swaziland Boxing Organisation (SBO) president Pearl Dhlamini said.
The coaches covered vast areas, including understanding Aiba rules and regulations, boxing styles and main differences, medical issues, anti-doping, cutman and its role, as well as technical and tactical training. Trainers were also taken along the new method of doing bandaging.
Dhlamini was ecstatic about the programme being hosted in the city and showered her SA National Boxing Organisation (Sanabo) president Andile Mofu with endless praises.
“We as Swaziland Open Boxing want to express gratitude to Sanabo for hosting such a successful programme,” she said.
“Special thanks goes to its president Mr Mofu for fighting tooth and nail to ensure that these international programmes are held right on our doorsteps so we can also benefit from Aiba programmes. Mofu’s vision is not only benefiting his organisation but the continent as a whole.”
Mofu, renowned for his modesty, said it was part of Sanabo’s objective to ensure that neighbouring countries forged and shared expertise.
With the elite championships having started on Wednesday, boxers from all nine provinces battled for supremacy culminating in the quarterfinals which were held yesterday.
The finals will take place tomorrow to wrap up the programme which has achieved at least 96% of its objective, according to Mofu.