Pune blast scares kickboxers away

The Asian kickboxing championship, scheduled to be held here from Saturday, has been hit by the German Bakery blast. Of the estimated 500 kickboxers, only 100 have confirmed participation. Besides, the four-day event has been reduced to a two-day affair.

The Indian Kickboxing Association (IKA) officials rubbished the blast impact on the event. “All the countries have confirmed entries,” said IKA president Ziauddin Khatib. The championship will kick off at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex at Balewadi on Saturday. “There will be 100 fighters from various countries, along with 40 from India. This is for the first time that India is hosting the Asian Championship,” Khatib added.

Kickboxers from France, Greece, Hungary, Czech Republic, Iran, Nigeria, Nepal, Lebanon, the UAE, Afghanistan and Hong Kong are participating in the event. All eyes, however, will be on defending champions Uzbekistan, who have been dominating the event at the international level.