IABA delighted Donnelly has secured place on the plane to RIO

The IABA released the following statement today officially confirming Steven Donnelly will be going to RIO to compete in the 2016 Olympics:

The Irish Amateur Boxing Association (IABA) are delighted to confirm that Steven Donnelly has achieved a quota place for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

Pat Ryan and Fergal Carruth, President and CEO of the IABA, confirmed this morning that they had been notified by the Olympic Council of Ireland that Donnelly has earned a quota place for the 31st Olympiad.

Pat Ryan said: “We are absolutely delighted for Steven and for his club. Steven performed magnificently last season and he won his place on merit. Congratulations to him and all involved.”

Fergal Carruth said: “We have received confirmation that Steven has been offered a quota place for the Olympic Games in Rio. This is fantastic news for our sport and congratulations to Steven and his club.”

Donnelly, an ex Irish Elite champion, qualified through the World Series of Boxing (WSB). The All Saints BC (Ballymena) welterweight won five of his six outings for the Hussars of Poland in the WSB last season and finished in the top two in the 69kg WSB class.

Four Irish boxers – World Elite champion Michael Conlan, Paddy Barnes, Joe Ward and Donnelly – have earned Olympic quota places in the bantam, light-fly, light-heavy and welter classes.

Barnes and Donnelly qualified through the WSB and Conlan and Ward through AIBA Open Boxing (AOB), although Conlan also qualified through the WSB and has the distinction of qualifying for the same Olympics twice.

Nine further Olympic places – six for men, three for women – will be up for grabs for Irish boxing at the various AOB, WSB and AIBA Pro Boxing (APB) qualifiers in 2016.