From 1911-2011 the association has been to the forefront of Irish sport and proudly stands as Ireland’s most successful Olympic sport
To celebrate the event, a commemorative calendar has been launched by the IABA in conjunction with the Olympic council of Ireland (November 2nd).
Launching the calendar this afternoon Olympic council of Ireland president Pat Hickey.
“We in the Olympic Council are pleased to be sponsor of the Calendar and are proud to acknowledge the important role that boxing has played in Ireland’s Olympic success over the years.”
Pat Hickey, President, Olympic Council of Ireland
Conor Lenihan, TD, Minster for Science, Technology, Innovation and Natural Resources, attended today’s launch in place of the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, Mary Hanafin, and praised the IABA for their enormous contribution to Irish sport.
“I am happy to be associated with the occasion of the Calendar Launch to herald in the Centenary Celebrations of the Irish Amateur Boxing Association. This is indeed a golden era for Irish Amateur Boxing and I would like to wish all our boxers , coaches and staff the very best in the preparation for London 2012 and beyond.”
Conor Lenihan TD
Ireland’s Olympic heroes Paddy Barnes, John McNally and Ken Egan at today’s launch
IABA president Tommy Murphy concluded.
“In this our preparation for the Centenary Year of this unique sporting Association it is proper and right that we pay due tribute to the Boxing legends who put us on the Olympic map. From John McNally who won Silver at Helsinki in 1952 right on to Kenneth Egan who won Silver at Beijing in 2008 and now on further to Ryan Burnett who in August of this year won the first Boxing Gold Medal at the inaugural Youth Olympics at Singapore. With the great generosity of the Olympic Council of Ireland we received the essential funding to allow us to bring this Calendar project to fruition.”
All funding raised by this sale of the calendar will be ploughed back into underage boxing, an area that , due to the lack of funding available we are falling down despite the Trojan efforts of our corps of fully qualified Coaches throughout every part of this Country.
