India's 23-member boxing squad departs for Asian Youth Games in Bahrain

New Delhi, Oct 21 (PTI) A 23-member Indian boxing contingent has departed for Manama, Bahrain, to compete in the third Asian Youth Games beginning on October 23.

The squad includes standout names such as Dhruv Kharb, Udham Singh Raghav, Khushi Chand, Ahaana Sharma and Chandrika Bhoreshi Pujari, all national gold medallists who have been at the forefront of India's recent youth boxing success.

The team also features several boxers who impressed at the Asian U-17 Championships in July 2025, where India won 43 medals to finish second overall.

The team was selected based on performances at the sixth U-17 Junior Boys and Girls National Boxing Championships earlier this year, where gold medallists earned direct selection, while silver medallists were named as reserves.

The contingent will compete across 14 weight categories -- seven each for boys and girls -- in the U-17 age group.

"Our young boxers have shown tremendous progress over the past few months, proving that they can stand shoulder to shoulder with the best in Asia," president of Boxing Federation of India Ajay Singh stated in a release.

The boxers recently completed a high-intensity training camp in Patiala from September 23 to October 20.

The camp focused on enhancing technical, tactical, and physical conditioning under the expert supervision of Head Coaches Vinod Kumar (Boys U-17) and Jitender Raj Singh (Girls U-17).

The competition will have three-round bouts in a single-elimination format. PTI TAP BS BS