A time to celebrate, and reflect: today, IABA High Performance held a World Boxing Championship recognition event, to honour Team Ireland boxers, their clubs, club coaches and families.
Team Ireland contested the World Boxing Championships in Liverpool in September, returning with gold for Aoife O’Rourke, and bronze for Grainne Walsh and Patsy Joyce, in tandem with invaluable experience for all team members. It’s important to pause to acknowledge each boxer, and the village of people that support these boxers.
High Performance Director Jon Mackey, IABA CEO Gary Stewart and IABA President Anto Donnelly addressed the event and spoke of the importance of collaboration throughout the Association, and recognizing all forms of contribution to success.
High Performance Director, Jon Mackey, said ” Our athletes represented their country with tremendous determination, pride, and honour. It was a privilege to be in the company of such a committed and inspiring group throughout the championships. What stood out most was not only their performances in the ring, but their unwavering support for one another outside of it. Even when some exited the competition early, they were back ringside, proudly wearing the Irish tracksuit, cheering their teammates on. That, to me, is the epitome of a true high-performance culture.”
And, he added “Today is, of course, about recognising the achievements of these outstanding athletes—but it is also about acknowledging those who helped light the path that brought them here. Our club coaches. Club coaches are the lifeblood of Irish boxing. They are the ones who first introduced these athletes to the sport, nurtured their potential, fuelled their competitive fire, and guided them along the pathway to high performance. Without their tireless work, we would not have the depth and strength of talent that exists across the island today. I want to take this opportunity to formally recognise and thank them for their extraordinary contribution—and to encourage them to keep doing what they do best.”
Jon, alongside IABA CEO Gary Stewart and IABA President Anto Donnelly, also recognised the invaluble contribution of families, partners and loved ones to the journey of each member of the Team Ireland World Boxing Championships team, not only in the run-up to the tournament, but in the years and decades leading up to Liverpool.
IABA President, Anto Donnelly, also paid tribute to the collaborative, adapative culture within the Association, and that success is not always defined by a podium – while Gary Stewart took a moment to honour the work, and the work ethic, of the High Performance Coaches.
Jon closed by thanking Sport Science Medicine practitioners, and the High Performance Unit’s strategic partners at Sport Ireland for their continued collaboration and support as IABA now set its sights firmly on Olympic qualification in 2027.
