Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this because it is a very important issue and a serious issue for our boxers.

I am aware of the recent announcement by the International Olympic Committee, IOC, to suspend planning for the Olympic boxing tournament at Tokyo 2020. This announcement was accompanied by a statement of the IOC’s intention to initiate a full inquiry into the internal governance arrangements of the International Boxing Association, AIBA. At present, it is my understanding that the IOC has not yet made a final decision on the inclusion of boxing at the 2020 Olympic Games.

It is important to clarify that international sport organisations, such as the IOC, are independent, autonomous bodies that are responsible for deciding their own operational procedures and competition rules. No government has a role or function in such decision making.

As we know, boxing is our most successful Olympic sport. We have won about 31 medals in the history of the modern Olympics, 16 of which have come in boxing and seven of those were in the last three Olympic Games. There is no doubt that we have a number of really good prospects for Tokyo so it is critically important that we would have this matter resolved. My primary concern in this is for the athletes and to give them certainty. It is very difficult 20 months out from the Olympic Games for an athlete to not know for certain whether their discipline will be included. I want to do whatever I can do to help ensure that certainty is there for those athletes.

I am glad that there is excellent collaboration between Sport Ireland and the Irish Athletic Boxing Association, IABA, on this. I have been in contact with both organisations about this. I contacted them immediately on 30 November to try to ensure that everything that could possibly be done to help the situation is being done and I am confident that is happening. I also understand that on the international front, the IOC has prepared eight possible scenarios around what may happen with boxing but this is certainly something that we will continue to work on and something I am confident that our sports agencies, Sport Ireland and the IABA, are doing everything they can about at the moment.

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