Ward to learn fate after late bid for Olympic reprieve

WESTMEATH boxer Joe Ward will learn this morning if a last minute appeal to make the Ireland team for the Olympic Games was successful.

Ward, who controversially failed to book his ticket for London from the final European qualifiers in Turkey, and his coach Eddie Bolger, have mounted a high powered legal challenge to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in a bid to secure a place in Billy Walsh’s squad.

Westmeath fighter Ward is the highest ranked boxer in Europe not to have qualified for the Games after suffering a shock 18-15 points defeat to Turkish fighter Bahran Mazzafer.

The Irish Amateur Boxing Association mounted numerous appeals including a letter to the President of the International Amateur Boxing Association, Dr Ching-Kuo Wu, but their pleas fell on deaf ears.

However the Olympic Council of Ireland President Pat Hickey last night revealed Ward, a European light-heavyweight champion, has made a spectacular late bid to become and Olympian.

Hickey said: “Everybody wants to be an Olympian so they go to CAS. Joe Ward’s appeal is being heard tonight (Wednesday) at 9.30pm and the verdict is due in the morning.

Hickey added that Ward is undertaking the case himself.

“He has made an appeal directly to CAS. The Olympic Council of Ireland aren’tinvolved and neither are the Irish Amateur Boxing Association.

“It is directly against the International Boxing Federation. Because they are involved the International Olympic Committee are involved. Joe has engaged a barrister based here called David Casserly who actually represented Joanna Mills in the appeal over the 400m relay team earlier this month.’’

Hickey said he was unsure of how the verdict would go but expressed hope that Ward would be successful.

“The verdict is due in the morning. My understanding is that if he won there is a Montenegrin boxer that has been selected for the Games in his place. The Montenegrin would go out but apparently that is unsure.

“They didn’t ask us for help or assistance or the Irish Amateur Boxing Association. It is a solo run and now all the legals are involved and when the legals are involved there is little we can do.

“He will either win or lose. Personally speaking I would love to see Joe Ward in the Games. He is a great young athlete and there is not a doubt that the decision made against him in Turkey had great question marks over it. But knowing my experience of appeals it had to happen at that time (Turkey) while it was fresh and hot.

“It is hard to see how it will go given how much time has gone by but I would dearly love to see him in the Games. ”

Ironically earlier in the afternoon, Mills confirmed she would not appeal her exclusion from the 4x400m Olympic relay team. Mills missed out on a place at the London Games after Catriona Cuddihy won her appeal to the Olympic Council of Ireland against her de-selection for the event.

“If I were successful in my [CAS] appeal, I don’t think I would now be comfortable going into the environment of competing in London,’’ said Mills

The 19-year-old Antrim athlete then tweeted: ‘‘even though I may have grounds to win the appeal I’m not going to take it to CAS! I wish the 4x4 success at #london2012.’’

Irish Chef de Mission Sonia O’Sullivan last night admitted the relay controversy was one that the Irish Olympic team could “have done without” so close to the Games.

“Not at this stage,’’ she said. “We obviously knew the appeal was on but the girls haven’t actually come in yet. I think it was one of those things that we could have done without. It was a legal decision in the end and you have to go along with that. It wasn’t personal. It wasn’t athletic. Sometimes these things come down to procedures and when lawyers get involved it is out of the athletes’ hands and out of our hands as well.”

O’Sullivan was speaking at the official flag raising ceremony for the Irish Team in the Olympic Village.