Boxing, considered as a ‘savage’ sport and banned since the 1970s by former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, is making a comeback in the country.
A camp for the Libyan Boxing Team is being held in Tunisia for a period of three weeks, in preparation for Africa Zone Three Boxing Championships in Kinshasa on March 20th.
After a long absence from the rings due– to the global coronavirus pandemic, the Confederation of African Boxing has seen fit to maintain this competition in Kinshasa, an opportunity to bring back confidence to African boxers for the upcoming Paris Championships and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
During Gaddafi’s reign, boxing, along with few other competitive sports, was banned for more than thirty years.
Boxing however has made a return to the rings since the fall of the old regime, despite limited infrastructure and investment in equipment, gyms and above all, safety for boxers.
At the time of the ban in the seventies, Libya was the second-best in Africa.
The country’s most famous and arguably boxing pioneer, Giubran Zugdani, took part in 1976 Olympics.
The Confederation of African Boxing (CAB) has invited 13 countries to the tournament.
They are hosts DRC, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi, Cameroon, Congo Brazzaville, Ethiopia, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.
–africanews.com
