Walsh to lead Irish boxing team in Beijing

JIM WALSH from Bruree has been appointed team manager for the Irish Olympic boxing team for the Beijing Games in 2008.

The Limerick man was one of three Olympic team managers named yesterday with the approval of the Olympic Council of Ireland.

The other two managers are Hans Bijnen, who will act as Manager/Coach to the Canoeing/Slalom team and Keith Bewley who will be in charge of the swimming team.

They join the previously announced team of Patsy McGonagle (Athletics), Donal O’Halloran (Badminton), Frank Campbell (Cycling), Nuala McGarrity (Fencing), Michael O’Callaghan (Rowing), James O’Callaghan (Sailing) and Kevin Kilty (Shooting) on the short list of managers for the Beijing Games.

Further managers should be announced over the coming weeks for the sports of equestrian, hockey, taekwondo and triathlon.

The managers announced yesterday will join the Olympic team for Beijing if and when their sports have athletes qualified and/or selected for the Games.

Jim Walsh has given a lifetime of service to boxing and he was manager to the Irish team that boxed Poland last weekend.

Ireland’s three winning members of that team, featherweight Eric Donovan, middleweight Darren O’Neill and light heavyweight Kenny Egan, are in Finland for the Tammer Tournament which gets under way today and this tournament is part of the build up to the Olympic qualification tournaments which gets under way next September with the world championships in Moscow.

“We are already well prepared for the world championships,” Gary Keegan, Director of High Performance, said. “We have been planning for the worlds since last year and we are now so far advanced that we are already looking at 2008.’’

He has 45 boxers on his high performance squad. Currently there are eight boxers in full time training: two middleweights, Darren O’Neill and Darren Sutherland, Kenny Egan, David Oliver Joyce, Eric Donovan, Johnny Joyce, Roy Sheahan and Conor Ahern.

David Oliver Joyce, national senior bantamweight champion, has moved up to featherweight alongside his St. Michael’s clubmate, Eric Donovan, but is currently nursing a hand injury.

“It has been a recurring injury and he never really taken enough time out to give it a chance to clear up,” Gary Keegan pointed out.

Eric Donovan also went into last weekend’s international against Poland with a slight hand injury and, after his impressive win on Friday night, he was withdrawn from Sunday’s match in Loughrea as a precaution.

“We did not want to risk his participation in the tournament in Finland,” Gary Keegan said. “He has the opportunity to box three contests there and that is very important.

Meanwhile Katie Taylor, the European lightweight champion, goes to Denmark today for a tournament there as part of her preparation for the world championships when she will be favourite for another gold medal.

She is currently top of the world rankings in her division.