Skip to main content

FINAL BOXING QUALIFIERS FOR OLYMPICS CALLED OFF.

FINAL BOXING QUALIFIERS FOR OLYMPICS CALLED OFF.

Tags

The World Boxing Championship that was supposed to be used as the final boxing qualifier for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as been cancelled.

This break-down news to many boxers world-wide including Ugandans was revealed by the president of Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) William Blick who also sits on the International Olympic Committee Boxing Task Force.

Blick made it public that the World Boxing Championship that was slated for May. 2021 in France as the final qualifier for the Olympics was canceled because Europe was experiencing a second wave of COVID-19.

“Boxing was to have the World Boxing Championship in France but in Europe currently, there is a second wave of Covid-19 so the competition couldn’t go on,” Blick said.

“The qualification system from the previous African Continental qualifiers in Senegal last year in terms of boxers’ rankings will be used," noted Blick.

Shadir Musa Bwogi after qualifying for Olympics in February 2020 in Dakar.
Bombers' Captain Shadir Musa Bwogi after qualifying for Olympics in February 2020 in Dakar. (Courtesy Photo).

Ugandan had only qualified Bombers’ Captain Shadir Musa Bwogi for the Olympics through the African Qualifies in February in Dakar, Senegal and many other Ugandans had a lot of hope in the qualifiers in France.

According to Blick, the right procedure on how the boxers will be selected for the Olympics is not yet out but if they are to go by the boxers’ ranking at the last African Continental Qualifiers in Dakar then other boxers like David Ssemujju, Isaac Masembe, Emilly Nakalema and Catherine Nanziri who finished in the semi-finals might have a chance to be at the Tokyo Olympics.

The Tokyo 2020 boxing tournament will feature 286 boxers (186 men, 100 women) competing in 13 weight classes (eight for men, five for women).

The Tokyo Olympic Games will be held from 23rd. July to 8th. August. 2021.

Story by Joseph Mary Ssempiira.

Paper Talk

How football matches are fixed in Uganda.

Action continues in the Stanbic Uganda Cup.