With the deadline for entries July 23, the AIBA has received all confirmations from the respective National Olympic Committees and has submitted its list to the Beijing Olympic Games Organising Committee (BOCOG) accordingly.
With 16 days to go before the start of the Olympic Games boxing competition, the confirmation of entries brings to an end the qualifying process which included nine continental qualifying events and the AIBA World Championships Chicago 2007.
With 286 vacancies split between Europe (91), Asia (62), Africa (61), America (61) and Oceania (11), Russia is the only country to have a competitor in each of the 11 weight categories. Morocco, Cuba, China and Kazakhstan all qualified 10 boxers while USA, France and Australia have nine.
The Beijing Olympic Games boxing competition runs from August 9-24, preceded by the competition draw which will take place on August 8 in the Asia Hotel.
Mixed fortunes for Ireland at European Schoolboy Championships
Carlow bantamweight Dylan Carr is guaranteed at least a bronze medal at the European Schoolboy Championships following his quarter final victory in Novi Sad, Serbia tonight.
But there was disappointment for talented young Derry light flyweight Aaron Rogan after he lost his last eight clash to Tarsa Krystofovich from the Ukraine by a margin of five points (5-10) this evening.
Carr, who is now the only Irish boxer left in the tournament, took the first and seconds rounds versus Israel's Shadi Abuasad en route to earning a 16-13 win.
The Carlow teenager will now meet Ruslan Gilmanov from Russia in the semi finals on Friday - and Irish team manager Joe Hennigan reckons he has a good chance of making it to the final.
By Nick Wong: When you think “Colombia”, Pablo Escobar, the cocaine trade, or guerrilla factions like the FARC might first come to mind, but underneath all that history still exists people just like anyone else, hoping and fighting for more out of life, some in fact, literally with handwraps and gloves.
I spent the last two weeks covering an amateur tournament in Venezuela, following the Colombian boxing team headed to Beijing in less than a month. I sat down and spoke with the fighters about their backgrounds, plans and feelings on competing at the highest level of the sport.
They come from different backgrounds, have different stories, different reasons for gloving up. Twenty-one year old Jhonathan Romero did it for protection. “I live in a marginalized neighbourhood, an area with a lot of robberies. It’s very hot. But I’m treated well because they know I’m an athlete, they know I’m trying to make it and they’re supportive of that,” says the young bantamweight.
Oscar De La Hoya's growing empire now extends to the amateurs has he teams up with USA Boxing for the forthcoming Olympics. USA Boxing and Golden Boy Promotions will now collaborate on numerous marketing, media, broadcast and consulting efforts.
One of the many benefits of the newly created alliance will be Golden Boy Promotions’ new relationship with AEG, one of the world’s leading sports and entertainment presenters, in coordinating potential venues for select USA Boxing national and international events.
Golden Boy, USA Boxing and AEG will seemingly work together organising events and venues while Ring Magazine will become a focal point of the alliance, relative to editorial coverage, advertising opportunities and subscription promotion for USA Boxing members.
The move will surely raise questions about potential vested interests.
Luis Yanez reinstated to U.S. Olympic team
USA Boxing aloud light flyweight Luis Yanez to return to the US Olympic Boxing Team, after the two sides reached a settlement.
USA Boxing removed Yanez from the Beijing squad after he refused to return to the team's training program in Colorado Springs, for most of June.
In return for his reinstatement to the Olympic Team, Yanez has agreed to a financial penalty for his absence, sports counselling sessions with United States Olympic Committee sports psychologists and a public apology for his actions with the coaching staff, and his teammates.
Yanez will return to the Olympic Training Center to resume training with his Olympic teammates before departing for a two-week training camp at Beijing University before the games.
2008 Junior Multi Nations Ireland
Ireland beat France at the National Stadium in Dublin Sunday to claim international Round Robin glory.
With both nations having beaten Germany and Italy on Friday and Saturday, Sunday's showdown was effectively a final and Ireland emerged victorious 5-3.
