Hit Squad head coach Benjamin Musa has urged African boxers to push above their weight and secure slots in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Musa said qualifications to the quadrennial showpiece had been made more competitive after slots earlier allocated to African countries were reduced by almost a half.
“As we talk, the continent is expected to have fewer boxers in some weight categories than it did in the past,” Musa said.
“We hope to grace at least three competitions that will give our boxers a chance to book tickets to the Paris 2024 Olympics,” Musa said.
Musa said the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved a new system of qualification for boxers giving them three attempts at an Olympic berth.
The decision was prompted by various IOC concerns around the governance of the IBA, including the refereeing and judging process.
“The IOC executive board received a report on the issues related to competition management and the refereeing and judging processes highlighted by independent experts during the boxing competition at the recent Commonwealth Games in Birmingham,” Musa stated.
The report stated that the IBA has not demonstrated any clear attempts to adhere to and fully implement the governance agenda established by the IOC EB in December 2021.
In a subsequent statement, IOC stated that the responsibility for the boxing competitions in the following events will therefore not lie with the IBA, and alternative arrangements had been put in place with the respective event organisers.
“The new qualification method, which was developed by the IOC in close consultation with boxing specialists, is based on direct qualification through a few chosen competitions, including the utilization of regional multi-sport events sponsored by the National Olympic Committee (NOC) as Olympic boxing qualification competitions,” Musa said.
The Santiago 2023 Pan American Games, Kraków-Maopolska 2023 European Games, the Solomon Islands 2023 Pacific Games, and the postponed Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games are all expected to serve as qualifiers under the IOC’s boxing qualification process. Accra 2023 African Games will also serve as a qualifier.
“Following the continental phase, the IOC intends to hold two world qualification tournaments in 2024 to determine the remaining quota seats before the Olympics in Paris,” Musa said.
Despite being stripped of the ability to do so by the IOC, the world governing body said it has taken on the responsibility of providing a clear mechanism and road for athletes to qualify for the Games. The IBA chastised the IOC for any delays in releasing a clear methodology.
The IBA women’s and men’s World Championships for this year were not included in the amended criteria approved by the IOC last September, with continental multi-sport tournaments instead slated to serve as Olympic qualifiers.
The IBA opposed IOC’s decision to exclude the two World Championships, insisting they will be the main qualification events under its qualification system.
Initially, under IBA’s system, the championships run by IBA’s five continental bodies were used as Olympic qualifiers, as well as three Golden Belt Series events and a final qualification event, scheduled to be held in the United Arab Emirates in May next year.
A total of 248 quota places were available, with 124 for men and 124 for women.
