New Delhi, Jul 17 (IANS): The Youth and Junior National Championships will mark the resumption of boxing in the country as domestic tournaments return after more than a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The fourth edition of Youth Men's and Women's National Championships will take place from July 18-23, which will be followed by the third edition of Junior Boys' National Championships and the fourth edition of Junior Girls' National Championships, scheduled from July 26 to 31.

The tournaments will be held at the Delhi Public School (DPS) in Sonipat and will follow all COVID-19 safety protocols.

The Nationals will also be treated as the selection tournament as the winners will be selected to represent the country in the ASBC Youth and Junior Championships, scheduled in Dubai from August 17-31.

The participation of 34 states and UT units, including Ladakh, and Services Sports Control Board is expected in the National Championships. The youth event is expected to see participation of more than 300 men and 200-plus women boxers.

During the last edition of Youth Boxing Nationals held in June 2019, Services Sports Control Board and Haryana had emerged overall champions in men's and women's category, respectively.

"It has been a very tough time for our players with the absence of domestic tournaments for more than a year now due to the pandemic. However, the situation has improved and this gave us the confidence to resume the sport. We felt it will be good to start with the junior and youth nationals as the international tournaments are also resuming and our boxers will get an opportunity to represent the country and compete in the international stage again," Boxing Federation of India (BFI) president Ajay Singh said.