USA Boxing announced today the 2020 USA Boxing National Championships will now take place at the Shreveport Convention Center in Shreveport, La., Dec. 5-12.
"Hurricane Laura wreaked havoc on the city of Lake Charles and rendered their Civic Center inhospitable for this year's National Championships. This came on top of the pandemic which already nearly wiped out the 2020 National Tournament calendar," stated Michael Campbell, USA Boxing Events and Operations Manager. "Our events staff immediately pivoted and was determined to replace the event with as little disruption as possible for our coaches and boxers that had been training with their goals fixed on participating in this event to end the year."
"Shreveport stepped up quickly to provide us a great alternative within the same footprint as the planned event, therefore we could keep our same scheduled dates and remain in the great state of Louisiana. Shreveport will provide good accessibility, weather and hospitality for our members and their Convention Center will be ideal for the implementation of our #BackToBoxing protocols that are designed to ensure the safety of our boxers, coaches, officials and members of the community."
"Shreveport, Bossier City, and the State of Louisiana are proud to host the 2020 National Boxing Championships in December," said Kelly Wells, Executive Director for the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission. "Primarily, I would like to acknowledge my unwavering respect for Lake Charles and their investment in USA Boxing, which ultimately highlights Louisiana as a destination for national, elite sporting events."
"As they recover from the detrimental effects of Hurricane Laura, Shreveport-Bossier is excited to keep this event within our state, which is expected to bring an estimated $2 million in economic impact to the area. We're honored to welcome approximately 1,000 athletes to Shreveport-Bossier, as well as their coaches, friends, families and other boxing enthusiasts. On behalf of the Sports Commission team and Shreveport-Bossier community, I would like to thank the USA Boxing family for entrusting us with this incredible event, as well as Lt. Governor Nungesser, the Louisiana Office of Tourism, the Shreveport Convention Center, Hilton Shreveport and the local boxing community. We'll deliver nothing less than world-class hospitality in sportsman's paradise."
Registration for the event will open Oct. 1. The fact sheet, which will include check-in information, hotels and schedule will be released in the coming days.