Pune, Jan 6 (IANS): A total estimated of 400 women’s boxers are competing at the Khelo India REC Western Open Talent Hunt Boxing Program, currently under way at the Army Sports Institute.

The estimated 400 competitors are categorized into Elite, Youth, Junior and Sub-junior age groups.

The talent hunt is being organized by Boxing Federation of India in association with Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) and the Sports Authority of India in 4 Regions – North, South, East and West.

There will also be one Combined National Level Talent Hunt Program for the holistic development of Junior & Sub Junior Boxers in the country.

These Khelo India Women’s leagues, which is into its 3rd edition, has played a pivotal role in increasing the participation of women in Sports by organising various leagues. A total of 526 events have been held across 20 sports disciplines since 2022. The total number of participants have been 56471 till now.

The leagues are utilized as a platform for Identification of new talents and evaluation of existing Khelo India Athletes. They also provide competition exposure to women athletes of different age categories across the country.

At the Khelo India REC Talent Hunt Boxing Program, scholarships will be given to the top 8 boxers in each weight category according to merit.