Ireland guaranteed seven medals at European junior boxing championship

The colour of the medals will be determined by how they perform over the next couple of days.

Led by world junior 66kg champion John Donoghue (Mullingar Olympic BC) the seven all won their respective quarter-finals bouts.

The other medallists are Kayleigh Byrne (Gorey) 57kg, Kaysie Joyce (Clonmel) 63kg, Cassie Henderson (Phoenix, Lurgan) 66kg, Kalib Walsh (Wexford) 50kg, Eddie Corcoran (Olympic, Mullingar) 52kg, and Edward Harty (Portlaoise) 63kg.

Meanwhile, in the ongoing struggle for control of boxing at global level the Asian Boxing Confederation decided on Wednesday to hold an extraordinary Congress next month to vote on joining World Boxing.

India, one of the big powers in Asian Boxing, has already linked up with World Boxing, which is bidding to replace the Russian-led International Boxing Association (IBA) as the de facto governing body of the sport.

World Boxing has sought provisional recognition from the International Olympic Committee who expelled the IBA last year.

All this matters in the context of whether the IOC will restore boxing to the programme for the Los Angeles Games in four years’ time.

In a statement, the Asian Boxing Confederation (ASBC) said that in light of the recent announcement by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) regarding the potential exclusion of boxing from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the ASBC affirms its steadfast support for the IOC as well as for its commitment to our athletes as they pursue their Olympic aspirations.

“Following the IOC’s decision to withdraw recognition of the International Boxing Association (IBA) as the governing body for Olympic-style boxing, the inclusion of boxing in the Olympic programme is now at risk, potentially precluding IBA athletes from competing in LA2028.”

According to the statement the ASBC’s Board of Directors met on Wednesday and decided to hold an extraordinary Congress on August 31 in Abu Dhabi in order to vote on joining World Boxing.

“According to the Olympic Charter, each sport must be governed by a recognised International Federation to be included in the Olympic Games. Given the IOC’s derecognition of IBA, ASBC will consider aligning with World Boxing as it seeks IOC recognition.2

In the event of the Asian Conference voting to join World Boxing, it will heap pressure on the Irish Athletic Boxing Association’s (IABA) Board of Directors to revisit the issue.

Last year clubs failed narrowly failed to endorse a proposal from the board to give them authority to explore the option of leaving the IBA.

It is ironic that Ireland, which has the third biggest boxing team competing at the Paris Games, is jeopardising the Olympic aspirations of future Irish boxers by refusing to sever its membership of the IBA.

Paradoxically the success of Irish underage boxers in tournaments such as the European junior championships, which is run under the auspices of the IBA is one of the main obstacles stopping the move.

Clubs have legitimate fears that World Boxing will not be in a position to organise underage continental tournaments at least in the short term, which will deprive teenage Irish boxers of the opportunity to win medals at European level.

World Boxing is organising its first ever U-19 world championships later this year in Colorado.