Africa-Press – Kenya. There is some exciting news in town for local boxing enthusiasts following reports that the government intends to sponsor Hit Squad’s trip to Cuba for a training camp.
Sports Ababu Cabinet Secretary, Namwamba revealed a fortnight ago that the government had entered into an agreement with the Cuban government for Hit Squad to be hosted in the Central American nation.
The news has come at a time Kenyan pugilists are limbering up to fight for slots in the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics. Indeed, the government’s move is not only timely but also noble if the intention is to get more Kenyan boxers on the plane to France in the coming year.
The Hit Squad are fresh from the IBA World Championships in Uzbekistan, where they exhibited a great display of character after sending three boxers to the quarters for the first in 20 years.
The Boxing Federation of Kenya (BFK) has lauded the government’s plan to send the national boxing team, Hit Squad, to Cuba for intensive training. Benjamin Musa, BFK’s national treasurer, described the plan as a step in the right direction and we couldn’t agree with him more.
Musa, who also serves as Hit Squad’s head coach, is optimistic the move will help lead the national team to unprecedented heights, adding that the concept is long overdue.
Musa says all successful boxing nations compete in at least 20 competitions annually. He also pointed out that their trip to Uzbekistan revealed camps established by the government to nurture budding talent in the country.
According to Musa, BFK are keen to do whatever it takes to catapult Hit Squad back to their former glory and he believes the team has improved a lot in recent years.
After Kenyan boxers made the final 16 for the first time in 30 years during the IBA World Boxing Championships, winning a medal would be our next objective.
Since 1988, Kenya has been without a medal. There is a need for more government assistance to the team’s target. Lack of finances has seen the competitiveness of the local pugilists take a hit unlike the years gone by when Nobert Wangila pounded his way to win the Olympic gold medal at the 1988 Seoul Games.
It’s interesting to note that there are concerted efforts to steer Hit Squad back to the global limelight. The government’s promise to ship the team to Cuba comes some months after Hit Squad was promised two high-profile international exhibition games by the National Olympic Committee of Kenya.
Speaking during a media training workshop in Naivasha in April, the National Olympic Committee of Kenya secretary general Francis Mutuku, said sponsorship plans for the team’s trips to France and Cuba are underway.
Mutuku believes Kenyan fighters can learn important lessons from the two superpowers. He observed that Algeria consistently performs well because they are sponsored to train abroad.
Mutuku reckons Kenya can advance past the qualifying rounds at the 2024 Paris Olympics and possibly place on the podium. Undoubtedly, Hit Squad’s recent performances have been encouraging and a lot more need to be done now to capitalize on the momentum by giving them the exposure needed to perform better in international tournaments.
There is also a need to train more boxing coaches and bring them up to par with contemporary technical and tactical standards.NOC-K said they intend to send more coaches to training programs since they are aware of the growing need to expose them to contemporary scoring methods.
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