The traditional "Great Silk Road" international boxing tournament in Baku, Azerbaijan, began with the opening ceremony. Athletes from 11 countries paraded to welcome the event. 

Samir Hüseynov, Advisor to the President of the Azerbaijan Boxing Federation (ABF), said the tournament, which coincides with the 100th anniversary of the ABF, would feature world and Olympic champions.

"The arrival of the world's strongest to the 'Great Silk Road' contributes significantly to the future growth of the tournament and the increasing interest in boxing in Azerbaijan," said Hüseynov, who noted that holding such an international tournament in Baku is a manifestation of the development of boxing and sports in Azerbaijan.

Representatives of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Aliniyaz Mirzayev, and the tournament supervisor, Draqolyub Radoviç, spoke about the importance of the competition and wished the participants success.

After the national anthem, the tournament was officially declared open. The competition, which is being held at the Boxing Centre, will end on 28 March with participating teams from Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Russia, Poland, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Iran, Italy, Pakistan, and Hungary. All of them will test their mettle in the capital of Azerbaijan.

Male boxers will be competing in 13 weight divisions and female boxers in just five. With 121 athletes taking part in the tournament, fights will start each day at 14:00.