Ceremonial opening of the WC in Budva, record number of participants

SOURCE: ANTENA M / AUTHOR: M.J. GDNUS

The World Youth Boxing Championship in Budva was opened with a parade of athletes and a solemn ceremony, which brought together 593 competitors from 73 countries, the Boxing Association announced.

It is stated that, along with the members of the professional staffs and medical teams of the national teams, about a thousand participants are staying in Budva, which is a record number of participants when it comes to youth championships.

The president of the Boxing Association, Aleksander Klemenko, wished the guests a welcome, a pleasant stay and successful results in Budva, and the vice-president of the municipality, Jasna Dokić, greeted the guests on behalf of the host city.

"I hope that you will have a good time, that your fights will be spectacular and that you will enjoy our city," said Dokić.

The Minister of Sports and Youth, Dragoslav Šćekić, said that Budva is a proven city of good organization of sports competitions and that there is no doubt that this event will go well.

"Dear young athletes, who have come to cross gloves in our city in search of world boxing gold, behave as if you are at home, in your homeland, because Budva and Montenegro are safe destinations and a safe home for every well-wisher. I wish you , respectable boxers, that you remain in the memory of the audience with your noble behavior and sportsmanship, that your sporting rise starts from here, from the small but beautiful country of Montenegro," Šćekić said.

He took the opportunity to congratulate Bojana Gojković, in her hometown, on the European silver medal she won recently in Bulgaria.

The President of the World Boxing Association, Umar Kremljev, in a video message address, wished that the championship in Budva would be a great spectacle and that everyone would show their true class in boxing.

The competition program in the Mediterranean Sports Center starts today in three sessions a day, until the quarter-final stage on October 29 and 30.

The semi-finals are scheduled for October 31, followed by two days of finals on November 2 and 3.

The presentation of medals and cash prizes is planned at the closing ceremony, also in front of the walls of the Old Town.