Somalia holds first boxing competition since civil war

Somalia has held its first boxing competition in more than three decades, with young fighters in the conflict-torn nation dreaming of a career in international rings.

The three-day lightweight boxing competition that wrapped up Sunday took place in the capital Mogadishu, where athletes squared off in a ring set up on a basketball court surrounded by ruined buildings that bore witness to the country's long conflict.

The fighters were cheered by dozens of enthusiastic residents of the capital, many of whom had never seen or heard of boxing before in a country where football and basketball are far more popular, even before the war when such competitions were rare.

"Boxing in Somalia stopped after the civil war and it is now reviving with the fact that the country is recovering from the war," said Awil Gelle Ahmed, deputy chairman of the country's national boxing federation.

The last Somali competition he could recall was in 1982.

"There are significant changes which affect the political and security situation of the country and this competition is part of the changes." Ahmed said the competition involved four teams of two people, all from Mogadishu as "we don't have access to other regions in the country."