NEW DELHI: The Indian boxing contingent, led by Asian Games gold medallist Amit Panghal and six-time world champion MC Mary Kom, landed in Dubai on Saturday to compete in the ASBC Asian Championships from May 24.
Posting pictures of the contingent at the Dubai international airport, the Boxing Federation of India (BF) tweeted, "Contingent has landed safely in Dubai earlier today and our boxers are all set for the upcoming ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships."
The players were issued visas on arrival and will undergo RT-PCR tests before they are allowed to commence training. All the players, coaches and support staff were in a bio-secure bubble in India.
The prevailing travel ban had created doubts over the team's participation but the Boxing Federation of India (BFI), the UAE government and Asian Boxing Confederation (ASBC) worked together to secure the team's travel.
The UAE government, Indian ambassador to UAE, Pavan Kapoor, and ASBC president Anas Alotaiba had helped secure the team's travel to Dubai.
The contingent is in the most crucial phase of training ahead of the Olympics and the Dubai event is expected to provide it with the necessary exposure.
The tournament was initially scheduled in New Delhi but was shifted to Dubai due to travel restrictions.
Indian squad:
(Men): Vinod Tanwar (49kg), Amit Panghal (52kg), Mohammad Hussamuddin (56kg), Varinder Singh (60kg), Shiva Thapa (64kg), Vikas Krishan (69kg), Ashish Kumar (75kg), Sumit Sangwan (81kg), Sanjeet (91kg) and Narender (+91kg).
(Women): Monika (48kg), MC Mary Kom (51kg), Sakshi (54kg), Jasmine (57kg), Simranjeet Kaur (60kg), Lalbuatsaihi (64kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg), Pooja Rani (75kg), Saweety (81kg) and Anupama (+81kg).