Havana, January 24 (RHC) - Cuba will take two female boxers to the Pre-Olympic Games in Italy in February, barely a year after the official start of boxing on the island.

This was announced by the head coach of women's boxing in Cuba, Santiago Suarez, at the end of the First National Tournament of women on the island.

"The idea we have is to take two athletes to the Olympic qualifier in Italy," Suarez said at the Rafael Trejo gymnasium in Old Havana, in statements to journalist Rodolfo Duran.

The Trejo hosted the competition from Friday to Monday.

Suarez said that the two brand-new national champions with greater possibilities of participating in the Pre-Olympic are Legnis Calá (57 kg) and runner-up in the Centrocaribes of San Salvador-2023, and Yakelin Stornell (66 kg), who won bronze in the Salvadoran capital, but in the 75 kg division.

According to the coach, the two selected athletes will travel on February 14 to Germany for a training base, and then they will move to Italy, venue of the qualifying event between February 29 and March 12.

The Pre-Olympic will award two tickets to Paris-2024 in the 57 kg and four in 66 kg.

A total of 36 female boxers from the country participated in the tournament, the first that Cuba organizes after allowing its women to officially step into the ring in December 2022.