BIG WEEK FOR IRISH BOXERS AS THEY FIGHT FOR TOKYO OLYMPIC SPOTS IN LONDON QUALIFIER
The Irish Amateur Boxing Association will be well represented in London this week with a full team of thirteen boxers competing for Olympic berths at the European Olympic Qualifying Tournament in the Copper Box venue from the 14-24 March 2020. Ireland will be represented in every event in London, with the first boxers taking to the ring on Sunday 15 March.
This is the first of two opportunities for Irish boxers to gain qualification to the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer. There are 77 spots available in this tournament – 50 for men and 27 for women. Boxers who don’t achieve qualification in London will have a second chance to qualify for Tokyo 2020 at the World Tournament in Paris in May 2020.
This is the third event of five in the Boxing Road to Tokyo – the first two Continental qualification events took place in Africa and Asia. In late March, Buenos Aires will host the fourth event for the Americas and the final event in the qualification process will be the World Olympic Qualifying Tournament will take place in Paris, France from the 13-20 May.
The Olympic Games will have eight events for men, and five events for women – with an increased number of women’s boxing medals up for grabs, in line with the IOC’s aim to achieve gender balance in the Olympic Games.
The IOC recently announced that Tokyo 2020 will have achieved gender balance with 48.8% females competing, they also confirmed there will be full gender representation across all National Olympic Committees for the first time ever. The IOC also introduced a new rule that will allow one male and one female flagbearer at the Opening Ceremony.
Full details on Team Ireland will be updated throughout the week on the IABA Website HERE
Live Streaming of the event is on the Olympic Channel HERE
The official event website page is HERE
Boxing at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo 2020 and all the events on the Boxing Road to Tokyo will be run by the IOC Boxing Task Force.
TEAM IRELAND COMPETITION TIMES
March 15
Last 32
63kg George Bates (Ireland) v Leon Dominguez (Spain)
81kg Emmett Brennan (Ireland) v Radenko Tomic (Bosnia)
91kg Kiril Afanasev (Ireland) v Begadze Nikoloz (Georgia)
Last
March 16
Last 32
69kg Aidan Walsh (Ireland) v Pavel Kamanin (Estonia)
75kg Michael Nevin (Ireland) v Pas der Van (Netherlands)
Last 16
52kg Brendan Irvine (Ireland) v Istavan Szaka (Hungary)
51kg Carly McNaul (Ireland) v Charley Davison (Team Great Britain)
57kg Kurt Walker (Ireland) v Hamsat Shadolov (Germany) or Anton Charnamaz (Belarus)
March 17
Last 16
57kg Michaela Walsh (Ireland) v Melissa Morensen (Denmark) or Mona Mestian France)
60kg Kellie Harrington (Ireland) v Aneta Rygielska (Poland) or Paula Cosmo (Romania)
69kg Christina Desmond (Ireland) v Angela Carina (Italy)
75kg Aoife O’Rourke (Ireland) v Viktoriya Kebikava (Belarus)
March 18
Last 16
91kg+ Dean Gardiner (Ireland) v Petar Belberov (Bulgaria)
TEAM IRELAND BOXERS
(Olympic qualification standard in brackets)
Male
52kg Brendan Irvine (St Paul’s, Antrim) Cpt (Top 8)
57kg Kurt Walker (Canal, Antrim) (Top 8)
63kg George Bates (St Mary’s, Dublin) (Top 8)
69kg Aidan Walsh (Monkstown, Antrim) (Top 6)
75kg Michael Nevin (Portlaoise, Laois) (Top 6)
81kg Emmett Brennan (Dublin Docklands) (Top 6)
91kg Kiril Afanasev (Smithfield, Dublin) (Top 4)
91+kg Dean Gardiner (Clonmel, Tipperary) (Top 4)
Female
51kg Carly McNaul (Ormeau Road, Belfast) (Top 6)
57kg Michaela Walsh (Monkstown, Antrim) (Top 6)
60kg Kellie Harrington (St Mary’s, Dublin) (Top 6)
69kg Christina Desmond (Fr Horgan’s, Cork, Garda BC) (Top 5)
75kg Aoife O’Rourke (Castlerea, Roscommon) (Top 4)
High-Performance Director: Bernard Dunne
Coaches: Zaur Antia, John Conlan, Dmitry Dimitruk
