The national event, which will start on February 6, will involve boxers from different regions.
“What we did is to confirm our participation for the Olympic qualifiers,”
“But the boxers (male and female) who will take part will be named after the national championship, basing on their performance,” he said.
However, the participation of the local pugilists will depend on availability of funds.
BFT, according to Mashaga, needs about Sh45million for travel expenses and boxers’ upkeep allowance while in Cameroon.
Meanwhile, BFT’s Kenyan counterparts have a list of 13 boxers, among them three women, who will represent Kenya in the African qualifiers for Olympic Games.
The qualifiers will be held in Younde, Cameroon, in March.
The squad was named after three days of national trials at Modern Fitness Gym in Mombasa. The trials ended on Saturday evening.
Three of the boxers selected did not feature in the national Olympic trials but qualified automatically to go to Cameroon for the continental selection because they are AIBA professional boxers.
According to Daily Nation, the three are Police’s Benson Gicheru (bantamweight), Rayton Okwiri (welterweight) of Prison and KDF’s Nick Abaka (middleweight).
KDF selected boxers are Simon Mulinge (flyweight), Nick Odhiambo (lightweight), Victor Odhiambo (light-welterweight), Humphrey Ochieng (light-heavyweight) and Fred Ramogi (super-heavyweight).
Women boxers
From Police team are Peter Mungai (light-flyweight) and Elly Ajowi (heavyweight).
Women boxers selected are Christine Ongare (flyweight) and Elizabeth Akinyi, both from Kentrack and Prisons’ Teresia Wanjiru (lightweight).
Boxing Association of Kenya (BAK) president John Kameta said the boxers will next week attend a high altitude residential training camp in a yet to be disclosed venue.
Kameta said the sparring partners, whose numbers he did not name, will be selected by the technical committee which is expected to meet this week.
“We want our team to do well in Cameroon so that many boxers are selected to the African team to feature in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in August,” said the boxing boss.
In the best trials fight of the finals, Peter Mungai of Police managed to win by points over up-coming Coast boxer Abdalla Athumani in light-flyweight contest.
Another fight which had the cowd on their feet was the lightweight where Nick Okoth of KDF beat Kentrack’s Washington Wandera. Another KDF boxer, Victor Odhiambo also won on points against Kisumu’s Michael Ochieng.
