India’s oldest boxing Olympian Shakti Mazumdar dies at 90, he competed in the 1952 Helsinki Games

Shakti Mazumdar, who was part of the four-member Indian boxing contingent in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, died today morning (Friday) at Ballygunge, Kolkota. He was 90 and was suffering due to ripe old age and died of a heart attack.

Mazumdar competed in the 51kg weight category in the Helsinki Games and lost in the second round. The other members of the boxing contingent were B. Bose (57kg), R. Noris (69kg), O. Ward 81kg).

“It’s a great loss to the country’s boxing fraternity. He was the oldest surviving Indian boxing Olympian and had a great contribution in the country’s post-Independence boxing legacy. During his boxing days, Mazumdar ji was famous for record knockouts,” says Asit Banerjee, president Bengal Amateur Boxing Federation.