India's first Youth Olympic boxing gold at Dakar 2026

13 November 2026 · English Sports

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Current affairs of 13 November 2026 (Shanmugam IAS Academy) – explained for UPSC, TNPSC and other competitive exams

News

At the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, capital of Senegal, young Manipur boxer Lairenlakpam Ambekar Meetei won gold in the men's 50 kg category on 12 November 2026. He beat Kristian Jubani of Ireland 3–2 in the final, after defeating Colombia's Izzon Jeffrey Galea Arevalo 5–0 in the semi-final. It is India's first-ever boxing gold in Youth Olympic history and India's first gold of Dakar 2026, the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) said. Hours later, Gunjan won the women's 48 kg gold, beating Algeria's Bouthaina Bensalah by unanimous decision, to become the first Indian woman to win Youth Olympic boxing gold. That took India's tally to 10 medals (2 gold, 3 silver, 5 bronze), IANS reported. Dakar 2026 (31 Oct – 13 Nov) is the first Olympic sporting event held on African soil, with venues in Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly.

Key facts for the exam

Background

• The Youth Olympic Games are held by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for athletes aged 15 to 18. The first summer edition was in Singapore in 2010. At Dakar 2026, about 2,700 athletes from over 200 National Olympic Committees competed in 25 sports. It is the first Olympic event on African soil.
• Vijender Singh won India's first Olympic boxing medal at Beijing 2008 (75 kg, bronze). Mary Kom (51 kg) became the first Indian woman boxer to win an Olympic medal, a bronze at London 2012; Lovlina Borgohain won bronze at Tokyo 2020.
• Over governance problems, the IOC withdrew recognition of the old international boxing body (AIBA/IBA). In February 2025 the IOC gave provisional recognition to 'World Boxing', paving the way for boxing at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
• Senegal is a West African country; its capital Dakar lies on the Atlantic coast at the western tip of mainland Africa. A former French colony, it became independent in 1960.

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Sources: ANI – aninews.in (12 Nov 2026); The Tribune – tribuneindia.com (12 Nov 2026); Outlook India – outlookindia.com (Indian contingent list: 2 boxers); IANS (12 Nov 2026); IOC – olympics.com (Dakar 2026 opening); SDAT press release – kygcms.tn.gov.in (17 Jan 2024); The Irish Times – irishtimes.com (26 Feb 2025, World Boxing). Compiled by Shanmugam IAS Academy.

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