These Girls From Pakistan Have Overcome Obstacles to Pursue Boxing

These aspiring female boxers in Pakistan believe that the sport should not be the confine of men.

Females undergo training to pursue boxing (Photo: AP screengrab)

In the poor locality of Lyari in Karachi, Pakistan, many girls have overcome several social obstacles to pursue their passion for boxing.

The Young Lyari Health and Boxing Club in the city has become a hub for more than two dozen determined young female boxers, where they are seen quickly changing from their traditional clothing and donning tracksuits for training.

16-year-old Sarah Baloch, who became the inspiration for many other girls to join the club, harbours dreams of participating at the Olympics one day. If that dream is realised, it will make her the first ever woman boxer from the country to take part in the mega sporting event.

These girls believe that boxing should not be the confine of men. Anisa Asghar, one of the aspiring boxers in the locality, points out that people who disallow women to participate in sporting activities are wrong in their thinking.

Seeing the potential of these girls, the cultural centres of France and Germany - Alliance Francaise and the Goethe Institut respectively - organised a special camp in the locality, where they were trained by a French coach and boxers.

While the community of Lyari has taken great strides in terms of promoting boxing for women, it still constitutes to be an isolated case.

Doda Khan Bhutto, the President of Pakistan Boxing Federation says that the country still suffers from a lack of funds and infrastructure when it comes to boxing - thereby making the sport a distant dream for many Pakistani girls.

Video Editor: Mohd Ibrahim