Lovlina saved cash awards won over the years and have invested back to start an academy in North Guwahati in Assam
Navneet Singh
India’s Tokyo Olympic Games bronze medallist, Lovlina Borgohain, has invested her savings to promote boxing in Guwahati suburb.
The 27-year-old international boxer from Assam is excited to inaugurate her boxing academy in the first week of June. “I saved cash awards which I earned for my performances in the ring and invested back for development of boxing in my region,” the Olympic Games bronze medallist told Sportsbackstory.com over the phone from Guwahati on Sunday.
“It was my dream to start an academy. I’m happy to have achieved my goal and give back to the community,” the Arjuna Awardee added.
The boxing academy is spread over a small piece of land (approximately 1600 square yards) and will be functional from the first week of June. “The plan is to inaugurate the academy on June 1,” Lovlina revealed. “There is one boxing ring and other fundamental facilities, including equipment for conditioning, to start.”
Lovlina has been flooded with calls from parents and boxers who are eager to join her academy. “Parents and boxers have been calling to get an update to register at the academy. We will enrol players after the inauguration. We have appointed two coaches to oversee training,” she added.
Lovlina is one of India’s best boxers in recent times. She is the only female Indian boxer after MC Mary Kom to win a medal at the Olympics, when she won bronze in Tokyo in her respective weight.
She has also won multiple medals at the World Championships including the world title in 2023. At the Hangzhou Asian Games, she returned with a silver medal. With her own academy she wants to inspire children in Assam to take up the sport and provide them a platform to excel.
The fees to practice at the academy has been kept nominal. “The fee will be Rs 500 per month per student. This is to ensure that I’m able to pay salary of the coaches as I’ve no financial support from any source at the moment. All the money has been invested by me to encourage youngsters take up boxing,” she explained.
Lovlina, in her formative years, struggled to even buy her own boxing gloves. Her father a small-time businessman faced financial constraint to support her daughter’s passion for sports. However, she got better facilities when she joined SAI (Sports Authority of India) training centre in Guwahati. Despite the challenges, she emerged stronger and became the face of Indian boxing after Mary Kom.
Lovlina is expecting 30 to 40 students in different age group to join the academy. “The academy will expand as we progress,” she added.
She is also focusing on her own training. She could not win a medal at the Paris Olympics where she competed in middle weight class, but she is looking ahead to return stronger at the World Boxing Championships in September.
