There are 13 days until the first Team Ireland boxer steps in to the ring at Paris 2024, marking the centenary of Irish Olympic boxing.
In celebration, we continue looking back at every Irish Olympic boxing team, this time, at Munich 1972.
On 5 September, eight Palestinian terrorists, representing the militant group “Black September”, broke into the Olympic Village, killing two members of the Israeli team and taking nine hostages—all this only 20km from Dachau. In the ensuing battle, all nine Israeli hostages were killed, as were five of the terrorists and one policeman.
The Olympic Games were suspended for 34 hours, and a mass was held in the main stadium to commemorate the victims. In defiance of the terrorists, the Games continued at the insistence of the IOC President Avery Brundage, who famously said, “The Games must go on!”
All other details of the Munich Games pale in significance, but it did have its highlights. The Munich Games were the largest yet, setting records in all categories, with 195 events and 7,134 athletes from 121 National Olympic Committees.
While all of the squad at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich recorded at least one win, with four of the Ireland panel only losing to eventual medalists, there were yet again no medals for the Irish in the ring
Mick Dowling, appearing in his second successive Games, Charlie Nash and Jim Montague were eliminated by Cuba’s Orlando Martinez, Poland’s Jan Szczepanski and Ray Seals of the USA, who all finished on top of the bantamweight, lightweight and light welterweight podiums respectively
For his second Olympics in a row, Dowling found himself within touching distance of at least a bronze only to be squeaked out, this time on a split decision by Martinez in the last eight.
Neil McLaughlin lost to Uganda’s Leo Rwabwogo, who secured silver in the flyweight class.
Nash, who won a European title in the professional ranks and challenged for World honours, and McLaughlin, both Derrymen, also advanced to within one win of claiming at least bronze at the Boxhalle venue in Munich.
Nash beat Dane Erik Madsen and stopped Antonio Gin of Mexico before losing to Szczepanski in the lightweight class, while McLaughlin saw off the challenge of Sudanese flyweight Mustafa Safid and knocked out Egypt’s Mohamed Selim in the second before losing to Rwabwogo.
Jim Montague knocked out Iranian Nosra Vakil Monfared before being undone by Seales
Lisburn welter John Rodgers defeated Dane Ib Botcher before losing to Russian Anatoliy Khohlov, while Christy Elliot had a win and a loss against Farouk Kesrouan of the Lebanon and Mexican Emeterio Villanueva respectively in the light middle class
The Cuban boxing team finished on top of the medals table in Munich, toppling the USSR into second place.
Legendary Cuban heavyweight Teófilo Stevenson, won Olympic gold in Germany, his first of three.
Flyweight: Neil McLaughlin (St Eugene’s, Derry)
Beat Mustafa Safid (Sudan) 5-0
Beat Mohamed Selim (Egypt) KO2
Lost to eventual silver medalist Leo Rwabwogo (Uganda) TKO3
Bantamweight: Mick Dowling (British Rail)
Beat Ove Lundby (Sweden) 4-1
Lost to to eventual gold medalist Orlando Martinez (Cuba) 2-3
Lightweight: Charlie Nash (St Mary’s, Derry)
Beat Erik Madsen (Denmark) 5-0
Beat Antonio Gin (Mexico) TKO1
Lost to eventual gold medalist Jan Szczepanski (Poland) TKO3
Light Welterweight: Jim Montague (Star)
Beat Nosra Vakil Monfared (Iran) TKO3
Lost to eventual gold medalist Ray Seales (USA) 0-5
Welterweight: John Rodgers (Lisburn)
Beat Ib Botcher (Denmark) TKO3
Lost to Anatoliy Khohlov (USSR) 0-5
Light-middleweight: Christy Elliott (Port of Dublin)
Beat Farouk Kesrouan (Lebanon) 5-0
Lost to Emeterio Villanueva (Mexico) TKO3
Check out the Parade of Nations
Men’s indoor handball, slalom canoeing and kayaking all made their Olympic debuts. West German Liselott Linsenhoff, competing in the dressage event, became the first female equestrian to win a gold medal, and archery returned to the Olympic programme after a 52-year absence.