•Undoubtedly, the gallant female boxers who left a lasting impression in the regional show deserve a pat on the back.
•Hopefully, the world boxing governing body, AIBA, will follow up on the grave concerns raised by Boxing Federation of Kenya about the shortcomings of the entire show.
Image: BOXING FEDERATION OF KENYA
The national boxing team, Hit Squad, has made us proud again.
The 22-member contingent returned to the country on Monday after a vintage show at the Africa Zone 3 Championship in Kinshasa Congo where they bagged 18 medals, including six gold, five silver, and seven bronze.
It was a marked improvement from last year's edition where only heavyweight pugilist Elly Ajowi capped off his career with a coveted gold as Kenya's Hit Squad plundered a whopping 13 medals — a gold, five silver, and seven bronze medals.
Undoubtedly, the gallant female boxers who left a lasting impression in the regional show deserve a pat on the back.
Three female pugilists Elizabeth Andiego (light-heavy), Everlyne Akinyi (welterweight), and Teresia Wanjiru (light-welterweight) pulverized their opponents on their way to the winner's podium.
Equally deserving special mention are David Karanja (fly), Samuel Njau (feather), and Shaffi Bakari Hassan (bantam) who also secured gold in the men's category.
But while the rest of the team emerged from the tournament gratified, one man has been left with a bitter taste in his mouth.
That's none other than Hit Squad head coach Benjamin Musa who has extolled his charges for brushing aside insurmountable odds to emerge second at the Championship.
The seasoned tactician viciously tore into the organizing committee over grave violations of competition rules.
Musa said they were subjected to blatant infringement of technical and competition rules that saw Kenyan minimum weight pugilist Christine Ongare robbed of clear victory in broad daylight.
Three judges returned a verdict that declared Ongare's opponent Nyembo Gisele triumphant before the organizers rescinded the decision in the heat of a bitter protest lodged by Team Kenya.
Musa also questioned the seriousness of the organizing committee saying the general conduct of the members was detrimental to the sustainability of the sport in the continent and emphasized the need to protect the reputation and integrity of the competition.
Musa wondered why the organisers had to wait until a few minutes before bouts to weigh and check up the boxers when the teams had all along been there after arriving days earlier.
“For the first time in my boxing career, I saw the weighing-in and medical checkup being done a few hours before the bouts,” Musa said.
“We tried as much as we could to raise concerns about the whole issue but all our pleas landed on deaf ears.
The tactician said such ineptitude was among the factors holding our continent from the desired growth.
“There is failure to adhere to competition rules and technical rules. As such, we cannot be in a position to produce boxers who can compete effectively on the global front,” Musa said.
Musa read malice in the manner in which draws were being conducted, noting there were players who had not been initially registered for the championship only to be included as a result of the random draws.
Such incidents cannot be treated lightly. Hopefully, the world boxing governing body, AIBA, will follow up on the grave concerns raised by the Boxing Federation of Kenya about the shortcomings of the entire show.