Chance to catch them young excites Devarajan  

CHENNAI: Olympian V Devarajan has been nominated as one of the five members of the Talent Identification Development Committee of Khelo India Development Programme for boxing. Devarajan, who is also a national selector, is the first person from Tamil Nadu to make it to this prestigious committee. “It is a big honour to be part of the committee.

I will give my best. Being a national selector will also be of great help as I will get to watch the emerging talent in the country,’’ said Devarajan. The task of the committee is nurturing boxers for the 2024 and 2028 Olympics. “We have an arduous task at our hands. We need to identify and groom boxers for the 2024 Olympics and beyond. We need to recommend what tournaments selected boxers should take part in and also see that they get the best training,’’ said the former World Cup bronze medallist.

Where will the committee hunt for future boxers? “Schools are the best choice to hunt for prospective boxers. In the junior level, too, there are talented boxers. We will watch the sub-junior and junior nationals to identify and select talented boxers for the Khelo programme,’’ revealed the Southern Railway sports officer. He is keen to give exposure to talented boxers.

“Many a time due to hard luck, some talented boxers lose in the second round or so in tournaments. If we find them talented, we will give th­em an opportunity to get good training and other benefits.”