Zambian boxing authorities have expressed disappointment at the poor performance of the country's boxers at the Beijing Olympics.

"It is unfortunate that our boxers have been knocked out. As an association, we put in all we can to prepare the boxers," Zambia Amateur Boxing Association (ZAMA) president Steve Simpemba told Xinhua in an interview here Tuesday.

He said the association would now go back to the drawing board to see what went wrong and startpreparing for the All-Africa Games which Zambia will host in 2011.

"We are going to start identifying young boxers whom we intend to groom for the 2011 All Africa Games," he said.

The official said Bwalya, who is also an African champion, lost the match because of being too over-confident while Makina lost because he had too little time to prepare. He was only called up two weeks before the start of the games to replace a Kenyan-based boxer who was injured.

Zambia sent three boxers at this year's Olympics but all of them have been booted out in the preliminary rounds.

Zambia's medal hopeful, Hastings Bwalya was eliminated in the light weighterweight category after losing 12-8 to Mongolia's Munkh-Erdee Uranchimeg while welterweight Precious Makina was defeated 21-4 by Hanati Silamu of China.

The other boxer, flyweight Cassius Chiyanika was defeated Tuesday by Italy's Vincenzo Picardi.

With the knocking out of the boxers and the country's badminton representative Eli Mambwe, the hope now lies in swimmers Ellen Hight and Zane Jordan, both competing in the 50-meter freestyle and runners Rachel Nachula (400 m) and Tony Wamulwa (5,000m).

(Xinhua News Agency August 13, 2008 )