Marcial can turn pro and still compete in the Olympics – IOC
By Eddie Alinea of The Manila Times
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 28 Apr 2020
Eumir Marcial.
International Olympic Committee rules allow Olympic qualifier Eumir Marcial of the Philippines to compete in the rescheduled Olympiad in Tokyo next year as pro.
In a text message sent to Marcial’s camp on Friday, the IOC confirmed the Filipino gold medalist in the Asia-Oceania Olympic qualifier in the middleweight division last March that earned for him a ticket to the Tokyo Games, originally set July 24 to August 11 this year but was reset in 2021, that he can, too, fulfill another dream of becoming a prizefighter.
“No distinction will be made between athletes of any code of boxing in accordance with the current AIBA (International Boxing Association) rules,” the IOC message said by way of answering the Filipino camp’s inquiry on the matter.
“However, all boxers must comply with the WADA anti-doping code, as well as the age limits in accordance with AIBA eligibility rules, the IOC ruling provided.
The IOC ruling is believed to have settled all doubts on whether the pros can compete in all AIBA-sanctioned competitions, including the Olympics.
Doubts that led Marcial and his camp to inquire on the issue, which, obviously, even the country’s ruling body in the sport of boxing, the Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines failed to inform him.
“Mabuti at naliwanagan na ako sa rules. At least alam ko na kung ano ang gagawin ko (It was good it's the IOC itself that made me understand the rules. At least I now can be guided on what to do,” Marcial who was reported to have been receiving offers from not a few international promotional outfits, told this writer after receipt of the IOC message.
Such offers, one of which reportedly is dangling as staggering as $200,000 (roughly P10 million), have been bothering the hard-punching 24-year-old Zamboangueno the past few weeks.
“Ako, di ko nakakalimutan ang pangako ko sa mga kababayan natin na sisikapin kong maipanalo para sa bansa ang ating kauna-unahang Olympic gold medal, kaya lang kung ano-ano ang mga lumalabas na balita na ako daw ay mukhang pera (Me, I have always been committed to my vow to give our country the much-sought after Olympic gold medal. Conflicting however, including that saying what I’m only thinking is money. bother me,” Marcial lamented.
“Hindi tutoo ang mga balitang iyan. I even promised my coaches sa ABAP na kung ano man ang mangyari, sila pa rin ang mag-te-train sa akin para sa Olympics,” he swore in reference to coaches Ronald Chavez and his assistant, Barcelona bronze medalist Roel Velasco
“They were the ones who got me in to where I am today and I will never forget that,” a silver medalist in the IBA world junior championship and winner of a gold in the last 30th Sioutheast Asia Games, assured.
Following the suspension of the recognition of AIBA by the IOC in June 2019, the IOC Executive Board has appointed the IOC Boxing Task Force to supervise and manage boxing tournaments in the Olympics, including the conduct of the Olympic Boxing Qualifying Events and the boxing tournament at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
The 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro were the first in history to allow professional boxers to compete among the amateurs.
And let this be a warning to Marcial: being a pro is not a guarantee for an Olympic medal. The first three prizefighters to ever step inside the Olympic boxing ring -- Hassan N'Dam N’Jikam, 32, from Cameroon, in the 178 lbs division, 36-year-old Amnat Ruenroeng from Thailand, in 126 lbs, and 32-year-old Italian Carmine Tommasone – didn’t even come close to winning a medal.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea of The Manila Times.
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