(DEC 1) The AIBA has just
confirmed the names of those competing in the 2016 Rio Test
event December 4/6 and among the original entries were U.S
Olympic trials winners Mikaela Mayer (60kg) and Virginia
Fuchs(51kg),as well as reigning Olympic Gold medallist Claressa
Shields(75) kg. Sadly, WBAN has learned that due to injury the
Olympic champion announced Monday that she has withdrawn though
will still travel with the team to Rio. So none of the current
female Olympic champions will now be taking part.
Shields, commenting Monday via
social media explained : “Hey! Me and my teammates Mikaela
Mayer, Ginny Fuchs and Karlos Balderas are all heading to Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil today! For the Olympic test event tournament!!
Sadly my wrist is sprang very badly and I am unable to
compete😓! This cast has to stay on for a month and two weeks.
But still pray for me and my team for a safe travel and keep us
in your prayers! Thank you”.
The women’s flyweight competition will see the return of India’s
five-time World Champion Mary Kom, returning to the ring after
injury. Brazil’s own Olympic bronze medallist Adriana Araujo
will be hoping to put in a confidence-boosting performance in
front of the home fans, with French titleholder Estelle Mossely
and England’s Chantelle Cameron are also looking to leave their
mark in the city.
Missing will be the Irish athletes who were taking part in their
National Elite championships when entries closed. Also missing
will be another Olympic champion, Nicola Adams from England. One
of those paying special interest in the form of his boxers and
the competition will be former Irish HPU coach, Billy Walsh now
in charge of the U.S women’s team. This will give him a chance
in particular to see both Mayer and Fuchs in top class
international company. Shields of course being the reigning
champion needs no introduction and he will without doubt ensure
she too gains from the experience of being in Rio before the
Games themselves and benefit from this familiarisation trip.
Another of those competing in the 51kg class is GB’s Lisa
Whiteside, whom I saw win the GB Championship in Sheffield at
the weekend. Great to see her back in near top form after such a
serious injury that has kept her out of the sport for so long.
Earlier she was due to meet Adams in the 2015 championships in
Liverpool but that fell through, as we reported then, due to a
serious burglary at Adams’ home. That Liverpool meeting promised
to be a classic encounter with many believing that Whiteside
could ‘upset the odds’.
It would be good for the sport if the Team GB selectors had a
‘box off’ to decide on who will represent the country in the
Olympic Games itself later in the year but informed sources in
the UK suggest this is ‘unlikely’, a view shared by Whiteside
herself in a recent interview with Press Association Sport:
"It's very hard to explain my feelings - it would have given me
a massive boost if I could have fought Nicola for that spot but
it didn't happen earlier this year and it didn't happen today.
"I honestly don't think it's going to happen, and it's going to
come down to experience and who she is and what she brings to GB
boxing. I'd love to have that box-off and everyone at GB knows
that, but all I can do is concentrate on myself."
"I've come back from a fractured skull when a lot of people had
written me off," added Whiteside. "A specialist thought my
boxing career was over but I'm here fighting against the odds.
"I've gone from being a full-time firearms officer to having the
luxury of training full-time on a phenomenal GB programme, and
I'm going to box in the Rio test event on Sunday. When I found
out it brought tears to my eyes."
The AIBA told us of the importance of the Rio test event though
at the time they were unaware that Shields was injured and would
not be taking part:
“As we draw nearer to 2016 and what is likely to be one of the
most spectacular Olympic Games of all time, this is the perfect
moment for the boxers and organisers to take part in a test
event held by Rio 2016 Organising Committee,” said AIBA
President Ching-Kuo Wu. “The boxers and the city alike are
entering the final stages of preparations for the world’s
biggest sporting event, and we want to give men’s and women’s
boxing the perfect platform for the enjoyment of fans around the
world.”
The event will provide Brazilian sports fans with a sneak
preview of the kind of talent they can expect to see in the ring
in Rio next year. Thirteen of those taking part in the men’s
test event have already secured their place to compete on the
world’s biggest stage in 2016. Among those who will be hoping to
make a swift return are Cuba’s London 2012 gold medallist
Robeisy Ramirez and Kazakhstan’s super-heavyweight hero Ivan
Dychko.
The women’s flyweight competition will see the return of India’s
five-time World Champion Mary Kom, returning to the ring after
injury. Brazil’s own Olympic bronze medallist Adriana Araujo
will be hoping to put in a confidence-boosting performance in
front of the home fans, with French titleholder Estelle Mossely
and England’s Chantelle Cameron are also looking to leave their
mark in the city.
What of the hosts? :“Our preparations have gone well and we are
excited not just to stage the Olympic Boxing competition, but to
have such a strong team ready to compete,” said Brazil Boxing
Federation President Mauro Silva. “Our sport is enjoying huge
popularity at the moment in Brazil, and if the home fans inspire
our athletes to gold medals it will be an experience that nobody
will ever forget.”
In parallel to the competition, AIBA will be taking its #HeadsUp!
Charter to Brazil to be signed by Mr Silva to ensure the
successful roll out of the initiative locally. Launched at the
2015 World Championships in Doha and committed to grassroots
development of boxing and its aim to promote boxers’ safety and
training as well as creating a more sustainable career platform
for athletes.
AIBA with the local organising committee will also organise an
engagement event on 3 December in Rio with presence of elite
boxers for the enjoyment of local fans.
Men’s Entry:
Link
Women:
Link
Schedule:
Link
