KARACHI, 16 April 2005 — Pakistani boxing officials have expressed their disappointment at the cancellation of an international tournament in New Delhi because of threats from militant group Shiv Sena.
“It is bad for the revival of boxing ties between Pakistan and India,” Pakistan Boxing Federation Chairman Professor Anwar Chowdhry told Arab News here on Thursday while commenting on the cancellation of the YMCA Cup International Boxing Tournament.
The six-nation event was scheduled to get under way in the Indian capital from April 25. However, Shiv Sena threatened to disrupt event because of Pakistan’s participation in the tournament. The event’s organizers announced cancellation of the event the other day.
“We were looking forward to send some of our best boxers to New Delhi on the request of the Indian officials,” said Chowdhry who is also the President of the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA). “The YMCA Cup would have helped us prepare our boxers for the Asian Junior Championship.”
Pakistan will host the 2005 Asian Junior Boxing Championship in Karachi this summer.
Chowdhry said that the YMCA Cup’s cancellation would also result in monetary loss for the PBF as they had already spent a sizeable amount on the preparation of the Indian tour.
