IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships 2023: BFI unveils mascot Veera for upcoming tournament

The competition will get underway on March 15 at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi.

The Boxing Federation India (BFI) on Friday unveiled the mascot ‘Veera’ for the upcoming IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships 2023, scheduled from March 15 to 26 at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi.

The announcement was made in the presence of Honourable Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Anurag Singh Thakur, BFI President Ajay Singh along with the Indian contingent participating in the prestigious event.

The mascot cheetah, which is named Veera, is synonymous to strength, valour, bravery and courage. Just like Cheetah, the world’s fastest animal on land known for their speed, boxers beat their opponents with quick moments in the ring. Veera, the epitome of strength and courage, represents all the women boxers.

“We have to make a habit of hosting [big] international events. As we are organising World Boxing Championships, I would request Ajay ji that we should give opportunities for young boxers from across the country to come here and watch Indian as well as international stars, meet coaches through some program.

"It will be a big chance for them to get an idea about the preparation that they would need to do in order to reach that level in the future. I also congratulate BFI, Ajay Singh and Team for hosting the IBA Women's World Boxing Championships for the third time and wish the best luck to all the players,” the Minister said.

Accepting the Minister’s suggestion, BFI President Ajay Singh said the BFI will try their best to get the young boxers and coaches from across the country at the tournament, giving them opportunity to learn from the top stars of the sport.

“Shri Anurag Singh Thakur has taken on the mantle of ensuring India become a power to be reckoned with in the world of sports. Boxing is trying to contribute to that larger objective. We are the third ranked boxing nation in the world. We are very proud of our women’s boxing team. There will be a highest number of countries and boxers participating at the tournament. We just hope all of you [boxers] do exceedingly well and let’s put on a spectacular show for the entire world to see,” BFI President Ajay Singh commented.      

Top names from the boxing world, including eight Olympics medallists, will fight for the title at the IBA Women's World Boxing Championships, which India will be hosting for the record third time. The event will also see a massive prize pool of INR 20 crore.