By Tom Degun at the Main Press Centre on the Olympic Park in London

Korean AirJuly 21 - Korean Air, the flag carrier and the largest airline of South Korea, has signed a sponsorship agreement with the International Boxing Association (AIBA) to support the Road to London initiative which is currently being held in Cardiff.

The Road to London initiative in the Welsh capital is a special training camp open to male and female boxers from disadvantaged countries who have qualified for the London 2012 Olympics Games.

The three-week camp is almost over, as it ends on July 24 and it has seen 44 boxers from 25 countries in attendance consisting of 40 men and four women.

The boxers have been joined by 37 top coaches, with local transportation, accommodation, meals and training costs covered by AIBA.

AIBA President CK Wu admitted he was delighted to see Korean Air become a sponsor of the project.

"AIBA is very proud to partner with such a prestigious company," said Wu, who has spearheaded the Road to London initiative.

"This agreement will surely help the global promotion of the Road to London programme and will put some of our best boxers in the spotlight."

Yang Ho_Cho_Chairman__Chief_executive_of_Korean_Air__CK_Wu_President_of_AIBAYang Ho Cho, chairman and chief executive of Korean Air, with AIBA President CK WU

The move is a major boost for AIBA as Korean Air, who are headquartered in Seoul, are among the top 20 airlines in the world in terms of passengers carried and also one of the top-ranked international cargo airlines.

"Korean Air is pleased to be in partnership with AIBA," said the Korean Air chairman and chief executive Yang Ho Cho, who last year led Pyeongchang's successful bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

"We are committed to supporting underprivileged boxers from around the world as part of our on-going efforts to develop international sport."

London 2012 will see a total of 286 boxers in action with 250 men and 36 women to compete at the ExCeL.

It will mark a watershed moment in the history of the sport as women making their debut on the Olympic programme in three weight categories of flyweight, lightweight and middleweight.

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