Olympic Bronze Medallist in Boxing, Jim McCourt dies
The Olympic Federation of Ireland is sad to learn of the passing of Tokyo 1964 Olympic Medallist, Jim McCourt. The Belfast boxer was one of 18 boxers to win an Olympic medal for Ireland and was the only Irish medallist at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 1964.
McCourt won bronze at the European Championships, and gold at the Commonwealth Games, but it was the bronze medal he won at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964 for which the Belfast fighter will be best remembered. The southpaw won three straight bouts in Tokyo before he came up against Velikton Barannikov of the USSR in the semi-final, who was given the verdict on a 3-2 score that shocked those watching at Korakuen Hall. It was the first Irish Olympic medal in eight years and it would be 16 years before the next one came along. McCourt won seven Irish senior titles at three different weights across an astonishing career, securing a well-deserved place in the Irish amateur boxing hall of fame.
The Tokyo medallist was aged 79 when he passed away this week, after battling with his health in recent years. McCourt was flag bearer at the Mexico Olympics for Ireland and was inducted into the Irish Amateur Boxing Association hall of fame in 2011.
The Olympic Federation of Ireland wish to pass our condolences to his family and friends, and to the wider boxing community.
