Scientific training a must: Mary Kom

Rohtak, 24 may
London Olympics bronze medallist MC Mary Kom feels that India needs to adopt scientific training to nurture talent in the country. “It is also the duty of family, friends and neighbours to recognise talent and encourage youngsters to take up sport of their choice,” said Mary Kom, who has been designated as the National Observer for boxing to assist in preparation and implementation of India’s long-term development plan.
The Manipur boxer, who was here at the SAI boxing academy in Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, said that there is no dearth of talent in the country. “Haryana, Manipur and other states have a lot of talent. All that is required is to unearth this talent and groom it scientifically to get the best out of the athletes. The Olympics preparations are in a mission mode. India will perform better in 2020, 2024 and 2028 Olympics,” she added.
The five-time amateur world champion also expressed the hope that with Boxing Federation of India at helm the sport in India will get back on track fast. “A bright picture is likely to emerge soon. The days of decline are over and the boxers are now getting domestic as well as international tournaments frequently, which is helping them polish their skills,” she said.
Mary Kom also emphasised on the need to develop proper technique among the budding boxers so that they do not face difficulties in the later part of their career. “For this, personnel with proven ability in a particular discipline should only be assigned as Observer. Their sole objective should be to polish skills and identify talent at the grassroot level.”