PLANS to send an Irish team to the upcoming World Youth Championships will be resurrected as boxers from Russia and Belarus are not allowed to compete in Spain – despite being controversially given the green light by boxing's world governing body last week.
Nations such as Sweden and Finland have already outlined their intention to boycott events where Russian and Belarusian fighters are present, in a move that could signal the start of a large-scale protest against the decision of the International Boxing Association (IBA) to overturn the suspension of Russia and Belarus last week.
In doing so, boxing became the first Olympic sport to allow athletes from those two countries to return under their national flag, despite the war in Ukraine continuing.
Ireland adopted the same stance as other countries belonging to the 'Common Cause Alliance' and, as a result, the young Irish boxers preparing for the Worlds – due to take place in La Nucia from November 14-26 - were informed by the Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) at the weekend that Ireland would not be sending a team.
However, the ground has shifted in the last 24 hours, with the Spanish government yesterday banning Russian and Belarussian teams from competing.
“Ireland will take part in the Worlds [in that event] - we’re in the process of that at the moment,” said new IABA president Gerry O'Mahony, who succeeded Dominic O’Rourke in the role in July.
“The IBA allowing Russia and Belarus back was a deliberate snub to the IOC (International Olympic Committee), and would do greater damage to boxing in the long-term because if we’re not an Olympic sport, the consequences are grave.
“I don’t think anyone agrees with the invasion of Ukraine, you’d like to keep that separate from sport, but unfortunately they overlap sometimes. The likes of Ireland would suffer badly if it wasn’t an Olympic sport – it’s because of the medals that we get whatever funding we get.
“I would like to think the decision the IABA central council made on Saturday put an extra bit of pressure on Spain and other countries. We’re a small country but we’re brave enough to stand up and do something.”
And O’Mahony admitted it was regrettable, in the first place, to have to deliver bad news to boxers preparing for the championships.
“The unfortunate part of it all, of course, is that you’re affecting kids,” he said.
“But the bigger picture is, as things stand, by the time those kids are old enough to box in the Olympics there won’t be boxing in the Olympics. It’s hard to explain that to kids now, but four or five years comes pretty fast.”
O’Mahony also confirmed that, while Ireland will send a team to Spain, it is unlikely to include any more than 12 boxers.
“You have 24 champions,” says O’Mahony, “some of them had a hard battle, some went to the Europeans and brought back medals and some of the kids were at peculiar weights and were good enough to win an Irish title but maybe not at the level of the Worlds. The Worlds is a big step.
“GB don’t send a full team either, most teams don’t. The last time we went to the Worlds we sent 11 boxers, so we don’t traditionally send full teams.
“Financially, we’re still finding out feet. Maybe we should be looking at other ways of raising finance where we’re not depending solely on what the government is giving us, but unfortunately that’s the way it is.
“Whenever you haven’t got proper governance in place - which we have at the moment, but that will take a while to become fully established - sponsors won’t come in.
“The board of directors is being rebuilt, we have to appoint a new chairman, a new CEO and a director of boxing. We’re really going back to the drawing board.”
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FRYERS FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS AHEAD OF EURO TILT
CAITLIN Fryers was part of the Irish team that travelled to Montenegro yesterday for the European Elite Championships – yet things could have been so different for the west Belfast woman.
The talented Immaculata light-fly has long been considered a star in the making, winning Irish titles on her way through the ranks as well as landing World bronze and European silver medals at youth level.
However, Fryers almost turned her back on boxing before the Covid-19 pandemic – only to find a new lease of life that has thrust the 22-year-old onto the big stage.
“There was just so much going on - I was working, in university, trying to balance everything and it was quite hard.
“When you’re light and you haven’t won something, that’s sort of you out for the rest of the year with nothing to do.”
But she was quick to hail the impact of Mac coach, and former British featherweight champion, Martin Lindsay in helping reignite Fryers’s fire.
“Martin wasn’t really training me before Covid but he contacted me because he was starting some outdoor classes, and we’ve just been training ever since. He’s improved me so much. I’ve really come on leaps and bounds.
“He helped me get that motivation back and got the good out of me, so in that way there were positives to come out of Covid for me because I was learning and developing all the time.”
Already this year Fryers has competed at the World Elite Championships, the European U22 Championships and the Strandja multi-nations tournament. And the upcoming Europeans – which get under way on Friday – will be another valuable step in her transition to the elite international stage.
“You get to learn from the best at training camps like these.
“We were with Turkey, who had five world champions at the last Worlds back in May… I was in sparring with the World champion last week. It’s good to get in and work with them, and develop more because the difference between youth and elite is massive.
“I kind of had a break between them because of Covid, so I didn’t really get to experience gradually building up into this level – I was thrown right into it this year, and it’s been good to find out the difference when you go from fighting people your own age to fighting people 10-15 years older.”
Meanwhile, although the European Boxing Council has confirmed it will follow the lead of world governing body - the International Boxing Association - by allowing Russian and Belarusian participation at its events, the deadline for registration for the European Elite Championships had passed when the IBA overturned their suspension.
Ireland team
48kg: Shannon Sweeney (St Anne’s); 50kg: Caitlin Fryers (Immaculata); 52kg: Carly McNaul (Ormeau Road); 54kg: Niamh Fay (Phoenix); 57kg: Michaela Walsh (Emerald); 60kg: Kellie Harrington (St Mary’s); 63kg: Amy Broadhurst (St Bronagh’s, Rostrevor); 66kg: Kaci Rock (Enniskerry); 70kg: Christina Desmond (Dungarvan BC/Garda BC); 75kg: Aoife O’Rourke (Olympic)
Coaches: Zauri Antia, John Conlan, Dmitrij Dmitruk, Eoin Pluck. Physio: Rob Tuomey
