After initially being told they were not travelling to Spain to represent their country at the World Youth Championships next month, the Irish Youth Team will now travel following an IABA boycott u-turn.
The team were told during their Saturday training that they were not travelling to La Nucia to box in the tournament that takes place between November 15th-26th.
The IABA made the decision to boycott the tournament due to the inclusion of Russian and Belarusian boxers in the international tournament.
President of the IBA Umar Kremlyov affirmed that Russian and Belarusian boxers were permitted to compete with immediate effect, leading to IABA's decision to boycott.
Following this, the Spanish government have banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in Spain. This stance lead to Ireland and other nations affiliated with the Common Cause Alliance to travel and compete.
This is a welcome decision for the Irish boxers who have put in serious training and effort throughout the summer in preparation for this tournament.
However, financial constraints means the number of boxers selected to travel may be limited. Players were informed that finances restricted the number of athletes that would be chosen to compete in Alicante. Finance was also cited as an issue for the European Schools games, however a full team was eventually sent and 14 medals were brought home.
The team who represented Ireland recently at the European Youth Championships in Sofia were incredibly successful coming home with 3 gold, 1 silver and 4 bronze.
Georgia McGovern, Patsy Joyce, Katie O’Keefe, Winnie McDonagh, Laura Moran, Bobbi Flood, Dearbhla Tinnelly, and Cliona Darcy all won medals and are hopeful to continue this momentum at the World Championships in Spain.
Irish boxing is becoming more and more successful every year. It is undeniable that boxing is one of our most successful sports internationally. Irish boxing teams have already accumulated over 50 medals from major tournaments around the world since the beginning of 2022. The Irish European junior team enjoyed incredible success most recently with the under 16 selection winning 4 bronze, 4 silver and 2 gold in Italy last month.
