Honiara based Solomatic boxing club needs more than just equipment to help train its interested boxers.
What they need is more space to cater for more than 50 boxers both new and old who are training in an area about 4×5 square meters at the Banana Valley in White River, West Honiara.
Thats according to trainer, Frank Riqa who is also the head coach for the national boxing squad who represented Solomon Islands in the recent Pacific Games in PNG.
“We need more space to train these many interested boxers.
“The number of new boxers rose after we returned from the Pacific Games.
“They are very eager to learn which is a positive sign of boxing development in the country,” he said.
As a result of a small space all boxers were separated into two groups, one group would attend today’s session while the other group will have their next day.
Riqa calls on business houses who are interested in supporting sports to work together with the boxing associations and federation to arrange venue for trainings.
Boxing at the 2015 Pacific Games won three bronze medals and most of the fighters are from the Solomatic Boxing club one of the few boxing clubs who has remained active despite the boxing federation’s inactiveness for the past years.
Riqa said, it is anticipated that the formation of the Honiara Amateur Boxing Association (HABA) will culminate in the eventual re-establishment of the Solomon Islands Amateur boxing federation (SIABF) to make things such as training venues possible.
By CARLOS ARUAFU
