Key int'l boxing tournament kicks off in Bulgaria
Xinhua, February 23, 2016 Adjust font size:
The 67th edition of "Strandja", a key international boxing tournament, kicked off here on Tuesday bringing together 277 male and female boxers from 41 nations, a record in its history.
China' s three-time AIBA Women' s World Champion and 2012 Olympic Games silver medalist Ren Cancan along with 13 more Chinese boxers are among the participants in the event that is the oldest international boxing tournament in Europe.
"This tournament is held perhaps at the best time when athletes who are preparing not only for the Olympics, but also for World and European tournaments, can assess their level of preparation," Petar Lesov, 1980 Olympics boxing champion, told Xinhua.
The semifinals will be on Friday and the finals are scheduled for Saturday afternoon.
Last year at the 66th edition of "Strandja", Chinese boxer Li Qian won the gold medal in the women's 75kg category, while Ren Cancan grabbed the silver medal in the 51kg category, and two other Chinese women boxers took bronze medals, including Liu Piaopiao and Yang Wenlu in the 54kg and 64kg categories respectively. Endit