Golden opportunity for KO queen Katie

KATIE TAYLOR was last night being celebrated as an Olympic champion despite the fact that she has not yet participated in the Olympic Games.

She was been lauded around the world for the role she had played after the executive committee of the IOC had voted to accept women’s boxing as an Olympic sport for London 2012. Four divisions will be included on the programme.

“I am very proud today, it has been a great day for Irish Olympism,” Pat Hickey, who is also president of the grouping of European Olympic Committees, said. “Katie Taylor is such a fantastic athlete. I am so proud of her. The country is so proud of her. A soccer international, a world champion in boxing and I know the dilemma she had, whereby she did not know whether to go pro if she was not in London or give up or whatever. I know her whole dream and aspiration was London 2012. Now she has it.”

But he warned that it was a bit early to be talking about medals – bookies had her odds on to win a gold medal in London and to be Ireland’s next Olympic gold medallist.

“It is wrong to talk about gold medals at this stage,” he said. “We cannot put too much pressure on her. What is going to happen – and I know this from other Olympic sports – once a sport becomes an Olympic medal sport, countries like the ex-Soviet nations and China change their whole systems completely and they throw all their resources into it.

“But the great thing is that she has got her dream, she has got her wish and she is very well balanced. She has great people around her. Great credit is due to the Irish Amateur Boxing Association. They deserve a gold medal. They are our strongest Olympic medal sport and we are so proud of them and the way they keep bring forward the champions.

“The last year and a half has been tough,” he admitted. “There are 14 members on the committee that made the decision. I know them all and none of then had any leanings towards boxing. In fact they were indifferent. But for the past year and a half I have canvassed and lobbied every one them.

“When they went in today I knew 12 of the 14 were going to vote for women’s boxing.

“Katie is a great role model for Irish girls. She is also a soccer international and she is a magnificent young girl. I think we will see a huge upsurge in ladies boxing.”

“It came as a huge relief,” Taylor herself said. “We have been campaigning for so long and now it is finally here. It has been very special for me and, hopefully, the next three years are going to be very exciting for me.”

Pete Taylor, Katie’s father and coach, said it had been a long and difficult campaign and he was delighted with the result.

“She went to all the exhibitions,” he said. “This is the news she has been waiting for since before the Beijing Olympics because it was meant to be included in those Games.”

Billy Walsh, head coach to the Irish boxing team, said it was great news for Katie and Irish boxing as well.

“She is a remarkable talent,” he said. “She is going out to defend her fourth European title next month which is phenomenal. She has won two world titles and three Europeans. The Europeans only happen every two years so that is a phenomenal record.”

Unfortunately it means that at least one of the men’s divisions will be dropped to clear the way for the women and it appeared last night as if the 48kg division is the one under threat. Paddy Barnes won his bronze medal in that division last year.

“We are not sure what division they will drop or if they will drop any division,” Billy Walsh said. “There is talk that the 48kg division will go. That would be unfortunate from our point of view because we have a real contender there with Paddy (Barnes).”

Martin Cullen, Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, welcomed the decision to include women’s boxing in the London Olympic Games.

“Katie Taylor, who has been a dominant force in this field in recent years, will no doubt excel in this arena.”

The President of the Irish Amateur Boxing Association, Dominic O’Rourke, said they, too, were delighted, describing it as an historic decision.

“We are delighted that Katie Taylor will be given this opportunity,” he said. “Over the last number of years Katie has performed with a level of consistency rarely seen in international sport.”

The President of the AIBA, Dr Ching Kuo-Wu also deserves enormous credit as he has thrown the full weight of the AIBA behind the venture to get women’s boxing included in the London Games.

The decision by the IOC to put women’s boxing on the Olympic stage was also welcomed by the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation (WSFF).

“We are delighted that women’s boxing will be at London 2012,” Sue Tibballs, WSFF chief executive said. “With the sport dating back to the 1720s, it’s been a long, hard, fight to get to today’s decision, but we hope it represents a wider move towards gender equality at the Games.”