Indian boxers to compete in test event for London Olympics

A five member Indian team will compete in the London Boxing International Invitational Tournament, beginning Thursday, as part of their preparations for the 2012 London Olympics.

The squad, which has two female and three male boxers, left for London Tuesday.

The four-day tournament will be held at ExCeL, the boxing venue for the London Games and is billed as a test event before the mega show.

The contest will help the boxers familiarise with the venue and the climate eight months before the Olympics.

Five-time world champion M.C.Mary Kom, a medal hopeful for Olympics, will lead the charge for India.

"We might fight against some of our probable opponents in the upcoming championships and this competition will help us judge them better."

Vikas Krishan (69kg), bronze medal winner at the AIBA World championship said: “It will be my first Olympics and the test event will help me prepare mentally as well as physically."

Indian Boxing Federation secretary general P.K.Muralidharan Raja said it is a great initiative by the London 2012 Organising Committee. "It will serve as a test event not just for the organisers but for the boxers as well. They will get a taste of the competition and the condition," he said.

Squad:

Women: MC Mary Kom (51 Kg), Pooja Rani (75 Kg)
Men: Amandeep Singh (49 Kg), Vikas Krishan (69 Kg), Dinesh Kumar (81 Kg).