IABA put infighting aside to celebrate a joyous June
When the fighting is done inside the ring it turns out to be success.
Over the last four weeks Irish boxing once again shone bright on the international stage.
The month of June saw Ireland collected two gold, two silver, and three bronze on the European stage, all while officially confirming seven boxing Olympians.
The success provided a much needed boost considering the sport and indeed the asociation have been in the press for all the wrong reasons of late.
However, it seems the in fighting has been put aside for now, as the organisation released a statement heralding a the recent ‘phenomenal performances’ and condgradulating all involved.
The statement reads as follows:
The Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) would like to congratulate all the boxers, coaches and support staff
for their phenomenal performances during the Olympic Qualifiers in Paris and the recent Under 22’s European
Championship in Italy.
Despite the unprecedented challenges the organisation and its High Performance (HP) Unit have faced during
the Covid-19 pandemic, the HP Unit, the IABA and Irish boxing has enjoyed a tremendous June with medals
galore and seven Olympic places secured at the Tokyo Olympics.
In the last number of weeks, IABA HP boxers have secured Two Gold, Two Silver and Three Bronze medals
through their participation in the European Olympic qualifiers in Paris and the European U/22 Championships
which concluded last week.
This is on top of qualifying SEVEN boxers for this year’s Olympic games in Tokyo.
Irelands very own World Champion Kellie Harrington claimed gold in Paris, while rising star and one to watch for
Paris 2024’, Dean Clancy secured gold in Italy.
Fantastic displays from Michaela Walsh and Adam Hession saw them capture silver medals, while break through
performances from Aidan Walsh, Aoife O’Rourke and Jack Marley saw all three capture bronze medals on the
back of exceptional showings.
In a first for Irish boxing, Michaela Walsh and her brother Aidan have become the first boxing siblings to qualify
for the Olympics. They join Kellie Harrington, Aoife O’Rourke, Brendan Irvine, Kurt Walker and Emmet Brennan
in securing their tickets to the Tokyo games. The IABA would like to congratulate all boxers on this tremendous
achievement.
Great credit for these achievements must be extended to the High-Performance Director Bernard Dunne, his
coaching team and support staff who did an unbelievable job in preparing our athletes for these two
championships. This hard work, commitment and dedication to the program has culminated in the ‘Magnificent
Seven’ qualifying for the Olympics and seven major medals secured against some of the world’s top boxers,
leaving Irish Boxing primed for Tokyo and beyond.
A special mention must also go to the boxers’ own clubs, club coaches and volunteers, who give so much to
sport and are key components in the boxers’ development and success. The IABA would like to wholeheartedly
acknowledge the unbelievable work being conducted at Central Council, grassroots, and club level throughout
the 32 counties, without whom none of this would be possible.
