Khordha District Amateur Boxing Association (KDABA), under the aegis of Boxing Odisha, conducted the 29th Sub-junior Men and 8th Sub-junior Women State Boxing Championships at Guajhar, Old Town here today.

Over 100 competitors from eight districts participated in the championship, which served as the basis for selection Odisha squad for related National championships for boys and girls, scheduled to be held at Hyderabad from Sept 27-30 and Udaipur, Rajasthan from Oct 8-11 respectively.

The day-long championship was inaugurated by former Bhadrak Collector Krushna Chandra Patra. Dronacharya Award winning boxing coach Braja Bhusan Mohanty, Odisha Tourism Minister Ashok Chandra Panda, Boxing Odisha secretary Kabiraj Gouda and Bhubaneswar Athletic Association president Suresh Kumar Routray were present in the closing ceremony as guests.

But the championship, supposed to give boxing a new lease of life in Odisha, failed to deliver the desired results. Politicians and bureaucrats were given more importance than young boxers and the results of the championship could not be made public even on the next day of the event.