JOE WARD’S HOPES of competing in next month’s London Olympics are over tonight.
The Irish light-heavyweight had held some hope that he would be granted a wild card entry to the Games but Irish boxing chiefs have confirmed that will not now happen.
The AIBA notification states: “Following the Olympic Qualifying Guidelines approved by the IOC Executive Board, the next Best Boxer from the 2011 AIBA World Boxing Championships is supposed to be selected. Following the Competition Protocol list, we regrettably found out that your boxer does not meet the qualification to be the next Best Boxer in your continent.”
The Moate fighter was beaten controversially by local opponent Bahran Muzaffer in the Olympic qualification tournament in Trabzon in April. IABA High Performance head coach Billy Walsh said he’s extremely disappointed with the decision tonight.
More to follow
