Tajik boxer qualifies for London Olympics

DUSHANBE, October 5, 2011, Asia-Plus – Tajik boxer Anvar Yunusov (56kg) has qualified for the London 2012 Olympics as he has reached ¼ final at the 2011 AIBA World Boxing Championships that is being held in Baku, Azerbaijan.

In the 1/8 final, Anvar beat Australian boxer Luke Boyd.

The 2011 AIBA World Boxing Championships is being held at the Heydar Aliyev Sports and Exhibition Complex in Baku, Azerbaijan from September 22, 2011 to October 10, 2011.

The competition is run under the supervision of the world's governing body for amateur boxing, the AIBA, and follows on from the biggest World Championships in AIBA history which was held in Milan, Italy in 2009.

This world championship serves as a qualifier for the 2012 Summer Olympics. 685 boxers are reportedly participating from 127 countries.  The preliminary rounds started on September 26 with the finals being held on October 10.

There will be 10 men's boxing weights at London 2012 and, for the first time, three women's events will join them on the card.  The new women's events are at flyweight (48-51kg), light-welterweight (57-60kg) and light-heavyweight (69-75kg).

The Olympic boxing competition allows each country to send up to 10 men and three women (one boxer per event) to the Games.  To take part, athletes must have been born between 1 January 1978 and 31 December 1995, making 16 the minimum age for competitors.