Assam, a state in Northeast India, is known for one horn Rhino, Kaziranga National Park, and its budding players who even reached the Olympics. There are several other sporting organizations in Assam but the Assam Amateur Boxing Association (AABA) stands out the most and helped so many budding boxing players to showcase their talents in big stages. Let us read about it in-depth in this blog to know their history, initiatives, and contributions to the boxing stars of Assam.
This association also faced several challenges just like every other association or federation faced in the beginning as sports like boxing were not popular back then. With the continued support from the stakeholders and government, the association has overcome these difficult challenges and slowly Assam is becoming a boxing hub in India. In Guwahati, there are a few academies and clubs like Shiva Thapa Boxing Club where budding boxers can learn this sport from well-trained coaches, just pay a little amount of fee, and get the chance to become the next Olympic player.
Objectives and Foundation
The AABA was established in 1979 to promote amateur boxing at grassroots and professional levels across the state. It is the affiliation of the Boxing Federation of India (BFI), the association aims to provide a structural platform for aspiring boxers, enabling them to compete at national and international levels.
Key objectives of AABA include:
- Encouraging the budding youth to participate in boxing.
- Providing exposure and experience through organizing tournaments.
- Offering structural training programs for boxers and coaches.
- To identify and nurture talent, AABA started collaborating with schools, colleges, and clubs.
- Structured Grassroots Development training.
One of the biggest contributions of AABA is to focus on grassroots development. The association has worked tirelessly for years to establish training centers across Assam, especially in rural areas where budding talents find a way where they can polish their talents. These centers have essential training equipment and are run by well-trained and certified coaches who train young boxers.
Conducting regular workshops, seminars, and awareness programs in schools and colleges helps in promoting boxing culture as a career option.
Competitions and Tournaments
Assam Amateur Boxing Association (AABA) has organized numerous inter-state tournaments and also this association has participated in several tournaments, including:
- District-Level Boxing Championships: To scout the hidden local talent.
- State Championships: A platform where the best boxers from Assam showcase their skills.
- National Events: Great exposure for the participators of Assam boxers in national tournaments like the Sub-Junior and Senior National Championships.
- Special Boxing Camps: A training sessions before any major competitions.
#“Good Luck” Campaign for Lovlina Borgohain
The most heartwarming campaign of 2024 organized by the Assam Amateur Boxing Association was the “Good Luck” campaign organized for the golden champ of Assam and an Olympic bronze medalist in 2020, Lovlina Borgohain!
As Lovlina Borgohain was getting prepared for the major international competition, which is the Paris Olympics 2024, the Assam Amateur Boxing Association showed heartwarming affection through a state-wide campaign to encourage and support her. The campaign included:
- Community of Assam: From all over the state, all the people of Villages, towns, and schools step out to send their best wishes through the media.
- Social Media Drives: Heard of #GoodLuckLovlina? A trending hashtag spread across Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to encourage her.
This campaign helped to encourage Lovlina’s morale, it also inspired the budding aspirants and became the pride and star hero of Assam.
Achievements and Success Stories
This association has been producing several talented boxers till now who have represented their country, India on international platforms. Major achievements include:
- Star heroes got the medals in national championships
- Prestigious tournaments like the Commonwealth Games and Asian Championships enable boxers to compete in it.
- Lovlina Borgohain became an Olympic bronze medalist, and to support in her journey AABA took out a campaign to encourage her and to inspire others.
- Several female boxers from Assam have made their mark in various competitions with the immense support of AABA.
Support and Collaborations
Its Lifeline with the help of major collaborations wouldn’t have been possible without:
- Government of Assam: Providing infrastructure and funding.
- Private Sponsors: Training programs and Supporting events.
- Local Clubs and Academies: Providing all the other major help for the association.
The Road of Challenges and Ahead
We read about the achievements but besides those achievements, this association also faced several challenges just like every other association or federation faces in the beginning as sports like boxing were not popular back then, now let us read what challenges faces by the AABA:
- Funding and Limited resources
- A better training infrastructure was needed.
- Less exposure to the international level for the athletes
Since then, with the continued support from the stakeholders and government, the association has overcome these difficult challenges and slowly Assam is becoming a boxing hub in India.
Conclusion
Assam, a state in Northeast India, is known for one horn Rhino, Kaziranga National Park, and its budding players who even reached the Olympics. The AABA was established in 1979 to promote amateur boxing at grassroots and professional levels across the state. One of the biggest contributions of AABA is to focus on grassroots development. Conducting regular workshops, seminars, and awareness programs in schools and colleges helps in promoting boxing culture as a career option. Assam Amateur Boxing Association (AABA) has organized numerous inter-state tournaments and also this association has participated several tournaments in.
The most heartwarming campaign of 2024 organized by the Assam Amateur Boxing Association was the “Good Luck” campaign organized for the golden champ of Assam and an Olympic bronze medalist in 2020, Lovlina Borgohain! As Lovlina Borgohain was getting prepared for the major international competition, which is the Paris Olympics 2024, the Assam Amateur Boxing Association showed heartwarming affection through a state-wide campaign to encourage and support her. This campaign helped to encourage Lovlina’s morale, it also inspired the budding aspirants and became the pride and star hero of Assam. This association has been producing several talented boxers till now who have represented their country, India on international platforms.