AIBA President Dr Ching-Kuo Wu took advantage of the Day Two interval session of the Olympic Boxing competition to officially unveil the Fan Zone in Barra’s Riocentro Pavilion 6 venue. The area is dedicated to creating a genuine boxing experience for newcomers to the sport, as well as a chance to test out the kind of equipment that is used by the Olympic athletes, and the AIBA President greeted the crowds, handing out official caps to those in attendance.

“The Olympic Games is a fantastic opportunity to bring people closer to our sport and AIBA’s Fan Zone allows the thousands of spectators coming to watch the Olympic Boxing competition to experience a taste of our athletes’ training and what AIBA has achieved since its inception,” said AIBA President Dr Ching-Kuo Wu.

Visitors have the opportunity to go into the ring and have a taste of pad-training with a Brazilian coach, or to tackle one of three punchbags permanently set up. They will also come face to face with cut-outs of some of the biggest names to feature in the Rio 2016 competition, including defending Women’s Champions Nicola Adams, Katie Taylor and Claressa Shields, and Brazilian medal hope Robson Conceição.

A photo gallery features past Olympic legends like Muhammad Ali and Teofilo Stevenson, and infographics explain the weight categories and organisation of the tournaments. AIBA’s innovative HeadsUp campaign, designed to promote and educate boxers from grassroots right through to elite careers, also receives its own space, giving a fully immersive glimpse into the AIBA boxing world.

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