The Irish Elite squad completed their first training session in London last evening in the build-up to the qualifiers for Tokyo 2020.
Team Ireland arrived in London yesterday ahead of the start of the European qualifiers at the Coppebox Arena.
The draw will be made tomorrow at 4 pm. Boxing begins Saturday.
At least 40 nations and over 300 boxers, including Ireland’s thirteen-strong male and female squad, will battle it out in the English capital.
Seven of the 13 Olympic weights (the limits that require top 6 and top 5 finishes) will require box-offs between the losing quarter-finalist to determine the final placings.
Athletes in the other six weights need to reach the quarter-finals or semi-finals (top 8 and top 4).
A total of 77 Olympic places – 50 for men and 27 for women – will be on the line at a tournament expected to match the quality and intensity of a European Elite Championships – with Olympic tickets thrown into the mix.
Meanwhile, 96 of the 286 Tokyo 2020 berths have been earned following the completion of the Asia/Oceania qualifiers in Amman, Jordan this week and the recent African qualifier in Dakar, Senegal.
The final Americas Contontinental qualifier has been postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak, according to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Task Force for Boxing (BTF).
“We assure you that the BTF is doing its utmost to find the best solution,” part of BTF statement read.
The final world qualifier is scheduled for Paris in May.
European Qualifiers for Tokyo 2020 schedule
European Qualifiers for Tokyo 2020
Copperbox Arena London March 13/24
Irish squad
(Olympic qualification standards in brackets)
Male
52kg – Flyweight – Brendan Irvine (St Paul’s, Antrim) Cpt (Top 8)
57kg – Featherweight – Kurt Walker (Canal, Antrim) (Top 8)
63kg – Light-welterweight – George Bates (St Mary’s, Dublin) (Top 8)
69kg – Welterweight – Aidan Walsh (Monkstown, Antrim) (Top 6)
75kg – Middleweight – Michael Nevin (Portlaoise, Laois) (Top 6)
81kg – Light-heavyweight – Emmett Brennan (Dublin Docklands) (Top 6)
91kg – Heavyweight – Kiril Afanasev (Smithfield, Dublin) (Top 4)
91+kg – Super-heavyweight – Dean Gardiner (Clonmel, Tipperary) (Top 4)
Female
51kg – Flyweight- Carly McNaul (Ormeau Road, Belfast) (Top 6)
57kg – Featherweight – Michaela Walsh (Monkstown, Antrim) (Top 6)
60kg – Lightweight – Kellie Harrington (St Mary’s, Dublin) (top 6)
69kg – Welterweight – Christina Desmond (Fr Horgan’s, Cork, Garda BC) (Top 5)
75kg – Middleweight – Aoife O’Rourke (Castlerea, Roscommon) (Top 4)
High-Performance Director: Bernard Dunne
Coaches: Zaur Antia, John Conlan, Dmitry Dimitruk