Paris Olympics Boxing Brouhaha
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 27 Mar 2024
Is this what we have to put up with well meaning but obviously non-boxing people who are running Olympic-style amateur boxing particularly that of the forthcoming Paris Summer Games?
The ambiguity of the new boxing classes for men's competition have forced Eumir Marcial and Carlo Paalam to campaign in divisions higher than their previous ones in the last Olympics in Tokyo and even earlier major tournaments.
Luckily for Marcial, he has qualified for Paris by virtue of his silver medal finish in the light heavyweight class in the Hangzhou Asian Games which was among the qualifiers for the forthcoming Olympics. Carlo and other Pinoy amateur boxers failed in their bid in the first global qualifiers in Italy but will try again in the next qualifiers in Thailand sometime soon.
Fortunately for us also, Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas have qualified via the Italy qualifiers since both fought in the new divisions within their old weight classes.
What has caused this boxing to do?
From Wikipedia, we learned the following:
"The boxing competitions at the Olympics in Paris are scheduled to run from 27 July to 10 August. Preliminary boxing matches will occur at Arena Paris Nord in Villepinte, with the medal rounds (semifinals and finals) staged at the iconic Roland Garros Stadium.
"In June 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) barred the International Boxing Association's (IBA) rights to run and organize the tournament due to "continuing irregularity issues in the areas of finance, governance, ethics, refereeing, and judging". Hence, the IOC executive board established and ratified a new qualification system for Paris 2024 that would witness the boxers obtain the quota spots through the continental multisport events, such as Asian Games, European Games, Pan American Games, African Games, and the Pacific Games.
"Pursuant to the IOC's mission of attaining full gender equality, Paris 2024 will institute another significant change to the boxing program, with the number of weight categories for men reduced from eight to seven, ultimately removing the light heavyweight division (actually the middleweight). On the other hand, the women's weight classes witness a corresponding rise from five to six with the bantamweight category introduced.
"The boxing program for Paris 2024 will feature the same amount of weight categories as those in the previous three editions, consisting of thirteen in total (seven for men and six for women). Pursuant to the International Olympic Committee's mission of attaining full gender equality, the program continues to remain updated with the number of men's weight classes reduced by one contrary to the women's side by an increase of one weight category.
"The male boxers will contest matches in these seven weight classes:
51 kg.
57 kg.
63.5 kg.
71 kg.
80 kg.
92 kg.
+92 kg.
The female boxers will contest matches in these six weight classes:
50 kg.
54 kg.
57 kg.
60 kg.
66 kg.
75 kg.
Weight classes are simply stated in kilograms (kg) with no further explanations.
Until the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the weight divisions for men are flyweight 115 lbs (52kg), featherweight 126 lbs (57kg), lightweight 139 lbs (63kg), welterweight 152 lbs (69 kg), middleweight 165 lbs (75kg), light heavyweight 179 lbs (81kg), heavyweight 201 lbs (91kg), and super heavyweight, any weight oved 201 lbs.
It is as clear cut as it can be.
Olympic style women boxing classes are flyweight, not more than 106 lbs (48 kg), bantamweight 112 lbs (51kg), featherweight 119 lbs (54kg), lightweight 126 lbs (57kg), light welterweight 132 lbs (60kg), welterweight 141 lbs (64kg), middleweight 152 lbs (69kg), light heavyweight 165 lbs (75kg), heavyweight 179 lbs (81 kg) and super heavyweight any weight over 179 lbs.
Women's Olympic boxing however was restricted to five weight classes based on fhe 2020 Tokyo Games namely flyweight, 112 lbs (51kg), featherweight, 126 lbs (57kg), lightweight, 132 lbs (60 kg), welterweight, 152 lbs (69kg) and middleweight 165 lbs (75kg).
Likewise clear cut as the men's.
Who was or were the wise guys who came up with the new strange weight classes that are more defined with their weight limits than their definitive traditional weight classes?
What could have been the motivation for such?
In a separate writeup explaining the new boxing classes, the writer noted the continued dominance of Cuba and the unprecedented success of the Philippines in Olympic boxing in Tokyo.
Is the return of Olympics, particularly Olympic style amateur boxing to Europe a factor in this weight class handicapping against Cuban and Asian boxers?
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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