Young boxers from 27 Belt and Road countries train for the 2026 "Belt and Road" International Youth Boxing Gala and "Sports Lottery Cup" China Xinjiang International Boxing Invitational Tournament in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A group of young boxers from 27 countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative are training in Korla, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, ahead of the 2026 "Belt and Road" International Youth Boxing Gala and "Sports Lottery Cup" China Xinjiang International Boxing Invitational Tournament, which is set to run from Thursday to Sept 28.

Since Tuesday, the nine-day training camp has brought together some 600 competitors, with the training hall echoing the thud of fists striking punching bags, the shouts of coaches, and the squeak of shoes on the floor. Beside the ring, boxers waiting their turn jumped rope to warm up, eyes fixed on the footwork of those on the stage. In the shadow boxing area and inside the ring, training has been intense and orderly.

Young boxers from 27 Belt and Road countries train for the 2026 "Belt and Road" International Youth Boxing Gala and "Sports Lottery Cup" China Xinjiang International Boxing Invitational Tournament in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The Xinjiang regional team has sent 47 athletes, including 29 male and 18 female. Among them, 19 athletes will compete in the adult division and 28 in the youth division, according to coach Abdursul Rozi, who said the team has spent a month preparing for the tournament.

"It's a precious opportunity for me to train alongside boxers from so many countries. We go all out in the ring, but outside, we hit it off really quickly," said Erasil Asan, a youth division athlete on the Xinjiang team.

Young boxers from 27 Belt and Road countries train for the 2026 "Belt and Road" International Youth Boxing Gala and "Sports Lottery Cup" China Xinjiang International Boxing Invitational Tournament in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Rozi expressed hope that the Xinjiang athletes will learn from each other's strengths during training and compete with courage and grit in the ring, showing their counterparts and audiences alike what young people from Xinjiang are made of.

While the training camp is closed-door, the upcoming tournament is free and open to the public at two venues in Korla.

Wang Xiaoxuan and Nurzatijiang Aireti contributed to this story.