NEWS

Boxers compete for 34 Olympic places at Asia Qualification Tournament as Pathway to Paris continues

The next stage of Olympic qualification for Paris 2024 got underway this weekend, with 237 boxers from 38 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) taking part in the Asia Qualification Tournament which is part of the of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

The boxing competition runs from 24 September – 5 October 2023 and will take place across 13 weight categories – six for women and seven for men. A total of 34 Olympic quota places are at stake.

Updates and results will be posted on World Boxing’s website and social media channels, as well as online at the Boxing Road to Paris website: https://boxing.athlete365.org/boxing-road-to-paris-2024/asia-qualification-tournament/.

The Asia Qualification Tournament is the third of five continental qualifying tournaments for the Paris 2024 Games and the European Games which took place in Poland in June and July and the recently competed Africa Qualification Tournament which was held in Senegal.

Once the 34 Olympics quota places available in Hangzhou have been filled, attention will turn to the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile (20 October – 5 November 2023), before switching again to the Oceania Qualification Tournament, which will be part of the 2023 Pacific Games in Honiara in the Soloman Islands (27 November – 2 December 2023).

When all five continental qualifiers have been completed there will be two final World Qualification Tournaments in 2024. The first will take place in Busto Arisizio, on the outskirts of Milan, Italy, (29 February – 12 March 2024) and the second and last Boxing Qualification Tournament will be held in Bangkok, Thailand (23 May – 3 June 2024).

Details of the draw and results of all the action from the Asia Qualification Tournament can be viewed here: https://boxing.athlete365.org/boxing-road-to-paris-2024/asia-qualification-tournament/

Details of the daily schedules and how to watch the action can be viewed at:  https://olympics.com/en/news/asian-games-2023-boxing-preview-full-schedule-watch-live

Keep up with World Boxing news, results, photos, and videos through the official Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages:

18 boxers secure qualification for Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Africa Qualification Tournament in Senegal

EIGHTEEN boxers have secured their place at Paris 2024 following the Africa Qualification Tournament in Senegal.

Eleven women and seven men successfully qualified for the Olympic Games following the seven-day tournament, which took place in the Dakar Arena on the outskirts of the Senegalese capital.

Ten boxers had confirmed their places ahead of the final day of competition.  Eight more joined them at the end of day seven, when the final quota places were awarded alongside 13 gold medals.

One quota place was available in each of the men’s weight divisions and the women’s 75kg category.  Two placed were on offer in each of the other women’s weight classifications.

The eleven women boxers who have secured Olympic qualification are:

  • Light-flyweight (50kg) – Roumaysa Boualam (ALG) and Yasmine Mouttaki (MAR)
  • Bantamweight (54kg) – Widad Bertal (MAR) and Yomna Ahmed Rezk Abdalla Ayyad (EGY)
  • Featherweight (57kg) – Khouloud Hlimi (TUN) and Marcelat Sakobi Matshu (COD)
  • Lightweight (60kg) – Hadjila Khelif (ALG) and Cynthia Ogunsemilore (NGR)
  • Welterweight (66kg) – Alcinda Lucas Dos Santos (MOZ) and Imane Khelif (ALG)
  • Middleweight (75kg) – Khadija Mardi (MOR)

They will be joined in Paris by the following seven male qualifiers:

  • Men’s 51kg – Patrick Chinyemba (ZAM)
  • Men’s 57kg – Joshua Omole Dolapo (NGR)
  • Men’s 63.5kg – Jugurtha Ait Bekka (ALG)
  • Men’s 71kg – Elsayed Ragab Elawady (EGY)
  • Men’s 80kg – Abdelrahman Abdelgawwad (EGY)
  • Men’s 92kg – Adam Olaore (NGR)
  • Men’s +92kg – Mourad Kadi (ALG)

Following Dakar, attention will turn to the Asia Qualification Tournament, which will be held at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China (23 September – 8 October 2023).  The Americas Qualification Tournament will then take place at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile (20 October – 5 November 2023) and the Oceania Qualification Tournament will be part of the 2023 Pacific Games in Honiara in the Soloman Islands (27 November – 2 December 2023).

These will be followed by two final World Qualification Tournaments in 2024. The first will take place in Busto Arisizio, on the outskirts of Milan, Italy, (29 February – 12 March 2024) and the second and last Boxing Qualification Tournament will be held in Bangkok, Thailand (23 May – 3 June 2024).

10 boxers secure qualification for Paris 2024 at Africa Qualification Tournament

Athletes compete in Sessions 1 and 2 on Day-1 of the Boxing Road to Paris Africa Qualification Tournament in Dakar, Sengal, on 09 September 2023

TEN female boxers secured qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games at yesterday’s semi-final’s in the Africa Qualification Tournament at the Dakar Arena in the capital of Senegal.

Seven men and one more woman will be looking to join them in today’s final day of competition.

The 10 women that qualified in yesterday’s semi-finals are:

  • Light-flyweight (50kg) – Roumaysa Boualam (ALG) and Yasmine Mouttaki (MAR)
  • Bantamweight (54kg) – Widad Bertal (MAR) and Yomna Ahmed Rezk Abdalla Ayyad (EGY)
  • Featherweight (57kg) – Khouloud Hlimi (TUN) and Marcelat Sakobi Matshu (COD)
  • Lightweight (60kg) – Hadjila Khelif (ALG) and Cynthia Ogunsemilore (NGR)
  • Welterweight (66kg) – Alcinda Lucas Dos Santos (MOZ) and Imane Khelif (ALG)

Today’s final qualification bouts to secure the remaining eight quota places are:

  • Women’s 75kg – Khadija Mardi (MAR) v Elizabeth Andiego (KEN).
  • Men’s 51kg – Patrick Chinyemba (ZAM) v Ala Eddine Zidi (TUN)
  • Men’s 57kg – Joshua Omole Dolapo (NGR) v Yadesa Leta Fikremariyam (ETH)
  • Men’s 63.5kg – Richarno Colin (MRI) v Jugurtha Ait Bekka (ALG)
  • Men’s 71kg – Elsayed Ragab Elawady (EGY) v Steve Kulenguluka (COD)
  • Men’s 80kg – Yusuf Lucasi Changalawe (TAN) v Abdelrahman Abdelgawwad (EGY)
  • Men’s 92kg – Mohamed Houmri (ALG) v Adam Olaore (NGR)
  • Men’s +92kg – Mourad Kadi (ALG) v Diarga Balde (SEN)

For a full list of results and draws, visit: https://boxing.athlete365.org/2023-africa-qualification-tournament/ 

All the final action can be viewed at https://olympics.com/en/news/paris-2024-boxing-africa-qualifier-all-results-full-list

Keep up with World Boxing news, results, photos, and videos through the official Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages:

10 places at Paris 2024 up for grabs as Africa Qualification Tournament enters semi-final stages

TEN women will qualify for Paris 2024 today when the semi-finals of the Africa Qualification Tournament take place at the Dakar Arena in the capital of Senegal.

The places are on offer in five of the women’s weight categories, where two boxers can qualify at each class.

The first women with the chance to qualify for Paris will box in the bantamweight category (54kg), followed by the lightweight (60kg) class. The afternoon session’s quota places will come from the women’s light-flyweight (50kg), featherweight (57kg) and welterweight categories (66kg).

The men’s competition will see seven semi-finals take place today.  The winners will have a chance to secure a place at Paris 2024 in tomorrow’s finals.

Details of today’s sessions are below:

Session 9A, 12:00 (GMT)

  • Women’s 54kg – Widad Berta (MAR) v Sara Haghighat-Joo  (SLE)
  • Women’s 54kg – Abdalla Yomna Ayyad (EGY) v Zohra Abdelkader (ALG)
  • Women’s 60kg – Mariam Sidibe (CIV) v Khelif Hadjila  (ALG)
  • Women’s 60kg – Felistars Nkandu (ZAM) v Temitayo Ogunsemilore (NGR)
  • Women’s 75kg – Patricia Mbata (NGR) v Khadija Mardi  (MAR)
  • Women’s 75kg – Molka Ben (TUN) v Elizabeth Andiego (KEN)
  • Men’s 57kg – Christian Sangue (CMR) v Joshua Omole (NGR)
  • Men’s 57kg – Yadesa Leta (ETH) v Hichem Maouche (ALG)
  • Men’s 71kg – Miguel Fernandes de Barros (CPV) v Elawad Omar Elwady (EGY)
  • Men’s 71kg – Michael Pakela (LES) v Steve Kulenguluka (COD)
  • Men’s 92kg – Ayoub Maani (MAR) v Adam Olaore (NGR)
  • Men’s 92kg – Julio Gabriel (MOZ) v Mohamed Houmri (ALG)
  • Men’s +92kg – Mourad Kadi (ALG) v Evans Agnes (SEY)
  • Men’s +92kg – Mohamed Firisse (MAR) v Diarga Balde (SEN)

Session 10A, 17:00 (GMT)

  • Women’s 50kg – Omowunmi Oyesiji (NGR) v Roumaysa Boualam (ALG)
  • Women’s 50kg – Yasmine Mouttaki (MAR) v Benedicte Diyoka (COD)
  • Women’s 57kg – Khouloud Hlimi (TUN) v Mariatou Diallo (SEN)
  • Women’s 57kg – Marcelat Sakobi (COD) v Joy Ojo  (NGR)
  • Women’s 66kg – Noelle Bindzi (CMR) v Imane Khelif (ALG)
  • Women’s 66kg – Brigitte Mbabi (COD) v Lucas Dos Santos (MOZ)
  • Men’s 51kg – Said Mortaji (MAR) v Patrick Chinyemba (ZAM)
  • Men’s 51kg – Kpakpo Allotey (GHA) v ZIDI Eddine Zidi (TUN)
  • Men’s 63.5kg – Joshua Tukamuhebwa (UGA) v Richarno Colin (MRI)
  • Men’s 63.5kg – Jugurtha Ait  (ALG) v John Paul Masamba (RSA)
  • Men’s 80kg – Lucasi Changalawe (TAN) v Younes Nemouchi (ALG)
  • Men’s 80kg – Orabi Abdelgawwad (EGY) v IPINGE Tonateni Ipinge (NAM)

For a full list of results and draws, visit: https://boxing.athlete365.org/2023-africa-qualification-tournament/ 

All of the action can be viewed at https://olympics.com/en/news/paris-2024-boxing-africa-qualifier-all-results-full-list

Keep up with World Boxing news, results, photos, and videos through the official Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages:

World Boxing announces four more members

The National Federations for boxing in Denmark, Mongolia, Panama and French Polynesia have been confirmed as the latest four members of World Boxing, the new international federation established to keep boxing at the heart of the Olympic movement and support the growth and development of the sport at local, regional, national and international levels.

The addition of four more countries means World Boxing now has 16 members. 

Mongolia, which has a proud tradition in boxing and has won seven Olympic medals since 1988, is the first National Federation from Asia to join World Boxing and means it now has members from five continents.

The National Federation for French Polynesia is a new organisation that has been approved by the country’s National Olympic Committee (NOC) and Sports Ministry.  It has never been affiliated to IBA and is the first National Federation to be recognised by World Boxing that has not been a member of IBA.

All of the members have completed a rigorous application process to join World Boxing. They are deemed to be in good standing and, through their statutes and operating processes, able to demonstrate:

  • A transparent and open election process for the appointment of office bearing roles
  • The existence and operation of WADA-recognised anti-doping polices and processes
  • Evidence of a structured, dispute resolution and appeals process that is either fully independent or subject to external input
  • Formal recognition by either their National Olympic Committee (NOC) or Ministry for Sport
  • Have a solid national and international boxing sports programme

The applications were approved by the Executive Board of World Boxing and will be ratified at the organisation’s inaugural Congress in November 2023.

All of World Boxing’s members will be invited to attend the Congress and have had the opportunity to nominate candidates for the offices of President, Vice President (VP) and places on World Boxing’s Executive Board and the Chairs of the Sport and Competition Committee, the Medical and Anti-Doping Committee and the Finance and Audit Committee.  All full members will have voting rights at the Congress.

World Boxing’s Secretary General, Simon Toulson, said: “This is the third cohort of countries to join World Boxing in the last month and is a sign of both the desire for change that exists across the sport and the recognition by National Federations of the critical importance of boxing remaining at the heart of the Olympic movement.

“We have letters of intent from a healthy number of National Federations that plan to join World Boxing and are currently processing a backlog of additional membership applications, so it is clear that there are many countries that want to work with an international federation that is committed to integrity, honesty and excellence and creating a better future for the sport.”

World Boxing was launched in April 2023 and aims to ensure that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic movement.  It will seek recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and plans to work constructively and collaboratively to develop a pathway that will preserve boxing’s ongoing place on the Olympic competition programme at Los Angeles 2028 and beyond.

The first cohort of World Boxing members was made-up of USA Boxing, New Zealand Boxing, Boxing Australia, GB Boxing, England Boxing and the Dutch Boxing Federation.  They were joined in August 2023 by the National Federations for boxing in Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Honduras and Sweden.

Further information on World Boxing is available at www.worldboxing.org.

265 boxers from 43 countries set sights on Paris 2024 as Africa Qualification Tournament gets underway in Dakar

The Africa Qualification Tournament gets underway this weekend in Dakar, the capital city of Senegal, when 265 boxers from 43 countries will compete for a place at next year’s Olympic Games.

Taking place at the Dakar Arena from Saturday 9 September until Friday 15 September, the qualifying tournament will see 175 men and 90 women compete across 13 different weight divisions for 18 places at Paris 2024.

It is the second of five continental qualifying tournaments for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The European qualifier was held at the European Games in Krakow, Poland in June and July of this year. Following Dakar, the Asia Qualification Tournament will be held at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China (23 September – 8 October 2023); the Americas Qualification Tournament will take place at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile (20 October – 5 November 2023) and the Oceania Qualification Tournament will be part of the 2023 Pacific Games in Honiara in the Soloman Islands (27 November – 2 December 2023).

These will be followed by two final World Qualification Tournaments in 2024. The first will take place in Busto Arisizio, on the outskirts of Milan, Italy, (29 February – 12 March 2024) and the second and last Boxing Qualification Tournament will be held in Bangkok, Thailand (23 May – 3 June 2024).

An overall total of 248 Olympic quota places will be allocated across the five qualifying events, with 18 up for grabs in Dakar – 11 for women and seven for men.

The Dakar Arena will already be well-known to many of the athletes taking part. The venue, on the outskirts of the capital, hosted the African qualifying tournament ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Games – an Olympics which saw Ghana’s Samuel Takyi win bronze in the men’s featherweight division after beating Ecuador’s Jean Caicedo and Ceiber Ávila of Colombia on his way to the semi-final.

Many of the athletes gathering in Senegal this weekend will have ambitions of following in Takyi’s footsteps by first qualifying for Paris and then securing a place on the podium.

Among those competing Dakar is Moroccan middleweight Khadija El-Mardi, who reached the quarter finals in Rio 2016 and qualified for Tokyo four years later but had to withdraw after giving birth. She is now back in the ring and determined to impress.

Algeria’s Roumaysa Boualam will be looking to reach her second Olympics Games in the women’s 50kg class, having previously qualified for Tokyo.

Elsewhere, Dakar local Pape Mamadou Sow Jr. will have the hopes of the home nation on his shoulders when he competes in the men’s 51kg weight category. His father, who shares the same name, is a national hero in Senegal as the first Senegalese boxer to become African Champion. Injury prevented him achieving his dream of competing at an Olympics, but Pape Mamadou Sow Jr. can count on local support in his bid to make it all the way to Paris.

The draw and all results at the Africa Qualification Tournament can be viewed at – https://boxing.athlete365.org/2023-africa-qualification-tournament/

World Boxing will be posting news and updates throughout the tournament on its official Instagram, Facebook and Twitter channels:
• https://www.facebook.com/OfficialWorldBoxing
• https://twitter.com/RealWorldBoxing
• https://www.instagram.com/officialworldboxing/

More than 40 candidates will compete in elections for Executive positions at World Boxing’s inaugural Congress in November 2023

World Boxing, the new international federation established to keep boxing at the heart of the Olympic Movement, has received more than 40 nominations for Executive positions when elections take place at its inaugural Congress in November 2023.

The nominations, which include 11 female candidates, cover a range of offices including President, Vice President (VP) and places on World Boxing’s Executive Board along with the Chairs of the Sport and Competition Committee, the Medical and Anti-Doping Committee and the Finance and Audit Committee.

The nominations come from 18 countries spread across four continents and mean that every Executive position and role as Committee Chair will be contested when members vote in November.  

In line with the processes set-out in World Boxing’s Statutes, Rules for Electoral Voting and Rules for Candidates of Elections (HERE) all of the candidates will be assessed for eligibility by an independent Vetting Panel using open-source materials. 

The Vetting Panel is made-up of three independent, external experts that do not have any involvement or knowledge of World Boxing and will be supported by the leading independent provider of sport-specific arbitration and mediation services, Sport Resolutions.

Once the vetting process has been completed a final list of eligible candidates will be published no later than 30 days before the elections take place.

Details of the World Boxing’s inaugural Congress will be announced in early September 2023.

The Secretary General of World Boxing, Simon Toulson, said: “Open, fair and transparent elections are a central element of World Boxing’s commitment to operating to the highest standards of governance. 

“To receive such a strong response to World Boxing’s call for candidates is a clear indication of the desire for change that exists within international boxing, and it is a very positive sign to see that every office bearing position within the organisation will be contested by a diverse range of candidates at the inaugural Congress.”

World Boxing was launched in April 2023 and aims to ensure that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic movement. It will seek recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and plans to work constructively and collaboratively to develop a pathway that will preserve boxing’s ongoing place on the Olympic competition programme at Los Angeles 2028 and beyond.

World Boxing announces six more members

The National Federations for boxing in Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Honduras and Sweden have completed the process to become members of World Boxing, the new international federation that has been established to keep boxing at the heart of the Olympic Movement. 

The addition of these six countries means World Boxing now has 12 members spread across four continents. 

USA Boxing, New Zealand Boxing, Boxing Australia, GB Boxing, England Boxing and the Dutch Boxing Federation were confirmed as World Boxing’s first cohort of members in early August 2023.

All of the members have completed a rigorous application process to join World Boxing and are deemed to be in good standing and, through their statutes and operating processes, able to demonstrate:

  • A transparent and open election process for the appointment of office bearing roles
  • The existence and operation of WADA-recognised anti-doping polices and processes
  • Evidence of a structured, dispute resolution and appeals process that is either fully independent or subject to external input
  • Formal recognition by either their National Olympic Committee (NOC) or Ministry for Sport
  • Have a solid national and international boxing sports programme

The applications were approved by the Executive Board of World Boxing and will be ratified at the organisation’s inaugural Congress in November 2023.

All of World Boxing’s members will be invited to attend the Congress in November 2023 and have the opportunity to nominate candidates for offices within the new international federation including the Presidency and Executive Committee and membership of Committees and Commissions.  The full members will have voting rights at the Congress.

World Boxing’s Secretary General, Simon Toulson, commented: “World Boxing continues to attract high calibre National Federations that want to emulate our principles and endorse our policies to put the boxers first and operate with rigorous governance practices.    Becoming a member takes time as it is a detailed and meticulous process to ensure that a National Federation is suitable for our organisation.

“We are receiving more and more interest and requests from National Federations and boxing organisations to join World Boxing on a weekly basis and currently have a number of applications from those wanting to join or going through the membership application process.

“The governance foundations of World Boxing are now set which will culminate in the Inaugural Congress in November.  The quality of National Federations that have joined and those waiting to join World Boxing coupled with the hosting of tournaments that are partnered and associated with World Boxing means we are on track to reach our initial objectives of the organisation whilst pursuing the overall goal of keeping boxing in the Olympic Games.”

World Boxing was publicly launched in April 2023 and aims to ensure that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic movement.  It will seek recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and plans to work constructively and collaboratively to develop a pathway that will preserve boxing’s ongoing place on the Olympic competition programme at Los Angeles 2028 and beyond. 

Further information on World Boxing is available at www.worldboxing.org.