AIBA looks to Mary Kom for fillip

Mc Mary Kom’s unprecedented four World Championship titles don’t just make her a legend but also strengthen women’s boxing’s case for inclusion in the 2012 London Olympics, says AIBA president Ching-Kuo Wu.

Mc Mary Kom’s unprecedented four World Championship titles don’t just make her a legend but also strengthen women’s boxing’s case for inclusion in the 2012 London Olympics, says International Boxing Association (AIBA) president Ching-Kuo Wu.

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Hailing the Manipur pugilist’s record feat, Wu said her remarkable achievement of winning medals in all the five World Championships held so far had added weight to AIBA’s effort to get women’s boxing included in the Olympics.

“Having witnessed the excellent performances at the AIBA World Championships (Ningbo City 2008), especially those of the very impressive Mary Kom, it illustrates how popular and successful women’s boxing is right now and adds further weight behind including women’s boxing in the Olympic Games,” Ching-Kuo Wu said from the AIBA headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Mary Kom, a mother of two, came back from a two-year break to clinch her fourth successive World Championship gold last year, a feat that prompted AIBA to describe her as ‘Magnificent Mary’.

The women’s World Championship itself grew by leaps and bounds and in the fifth edition held in Ningbo City, China last year, a record 41 countries competed.