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AIBA chief appoints Pinay as vice chair of women's boxing commission


MANILA, Philippines – Nieva Tesoro-Embuldeniya has been appointed by Amateur International Boxing Association (AIBA) president Dr. Ching Kuo Wu as vice chairman of the AIBA women’s commission. Ching believes Embuldeniya’s appointment could be the key to the inclusion of women's boxing in the Olympic Games. She is also the vice chairman of the AIBA women’s commission. Aside from her post at the women’s commission, Embuldeniya, a University of Santo Tomas alumna and native of Lallo, Cagayan province, will also serve in the powerful AIBA executive committee. She is married to Sri Lankan Herbert Embuldeniya, who is a former president of the Canadian Boxing Association. The couple resides in Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital. They have a daughter, Winona, a lawyer and regional director for the Province of Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario in the Federal Service. “My husband is the man who taught me boxing," Embuldeniya, who is now a Canadian citizen, said during a visit to Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) chairman Manny V. Pangilinann. “I was a volleyball player and I also played handball in Canada. My daughter was a national fencing player in Canada, and I also took up fencing as a sport." Embuldeniya took interest in amateur boxing in 1986, helping in boxing tournaments where her husband, a flyweight gold medalist in college, officiated. She started out doing clerical work and handling finances before moving to judging and officiating, eventually becoming an international technical official. ABAP executive director Ed Picson said Embuldeniya would be playing a crucial role in the 2012 London Olympics. “In our talk with Dr. Wu in Taipei last month, he said Nieva will be instrumental in AIBA’s desire to include women’s boxing in the Olympics." “Dr. Wu also complimented (Embuldeniya) for her dedication and competence." The Embuldeniyas also provided ABAP officials valuable information on different boxing styles and strategies in international competitions. Others in the said meeting were ABAP president Ricky Vargas and secretary-general Patrick Gregorio. – GMANews.TV
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