Taylor’s Olympic dream in balance

KATIE TAYLOR’S participation in the London Olympics in 2012 is in serious doubt, according to President of the Olympic Council of Ireland, Pat Hickey, who said yesterday that the inclusion of women’s boxing was far from a done deal.

When AIBA, the world governing body, recently backed ladies boxing as an Olympic sport for 2012, it appeared as if it was guaranteed. But that is far from the case. Two years ago Hickey sat alongside President of the IOC, Jacques Rogge, when Katie Taylor produced a spectacular performance in an exhibition bout staged to win support for women’s boxing at the world championships in Chicago. He has been pushing tirelessly since to have it included on the programme.

However, he admitted yesterday it is going to be a long road with the ultimate decision likely to come from an EGM of AIBA.

Various attempts have been made to limit the number of boxers competing at the Olympic Games. Some years ago there was an attempt to drop some weight categories. But, after a huge outcry in defence of the super heavyweight division, in particular, the light middleweight division was the only one to go.

All weight divisions are limited to 32 boxers, with the exception of heavyweight where there as a limit of 16. And that makes Olympic qualification extremely difficult.

It has emerged, however, that all categories could be reduced to 16 if ladies boxing is to be accommodated on the Olympic programme. That is likely to meet with huge opposition.

“Women’s boxing will come up at an Executive Board meeting in July,” Pat Hickey said. “The unfortunate thing about that decision is that it is not coming up at the Copenhagen Session which is the AGM where there are 113 people voting.

“It will come before the Executive Committee of the IOC which is only a 15-person committee and there are no great supporters of boxing on that committee. I am working with the President of AIBA, the world governing body, pushing the female participation because of Katie Taylor.

“Another problem is the knock-on affect on men’s boxing. AIBA submitted a plan to the IOC for ladies boxing and the initial plan they submitted only had four weight categories. But the IOC have now said ‘no you must have the same weight categories as the men’ and that means the men would be cut further. That has gone back to the world governing body to resolve.

“The rule is that for a new sport to enter the Games or to go out, it can only happen at the AGM by a vote of all members. But it is different with a discipline within a sport. That is the remit of the Executive Committee.

“There does not seem to be anybody interested in boxing on that committee. If the men are threatened by any more cuts, that means the AIBA would have to call their own EGM to ask each country if they are prepared to accept the cut in representation.

“Obviously that makes the matter much more complicated. If they don’t provide the same weight categories as the men it is seen as discrimination — like the ski jump in Vancouver.”