Michael O’Reilly (blue) in action
Olympic Council of Ireland and IABA Statement
The Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) and the Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) is today pleased to announce that Michael O’Reilly has been chosen to represent Team Ireland at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The 2015 European Games champion, from County Tipperary and coached by IABA President Pat Ryan at the Portlaoise BC, becomes the eighth boxer competing for Team Ireland at Rio 2016, joining Paddy Barnes, Michael Conlan, Steven Donnelly, Brendan Irvine, David Oliver Joyce, Katie Taylor and Joe Ward.
O’Reilly qualified for August’s Olympics at the recent World Olympic qualifiers in Baku, Azerbaijan after winning middleweight gold.
Dermot Henihan, the Secretary General of the OCI, said:
“Congratulations to Michael and the coaches and performance staff at the Irish Athletic Boxing Association for their continued hard work, dedication and support for all athletes competing at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. It’s very exciting, this is Team Ireland’s largest ever boxing team at the Olympic Games since pre-qualifying was introduced before Barcelona 1992.”
Team Ireland hope to add another boxer when Ray Moylette, the light-welterweight from County Mayo, competes in the final Rio 2016 qualifier in Vargas, Venezuela. The weigh-in and draw will be held on Saturday 2 July with competition beginning on Sunday 3 July at 15:00 local time.
Irish coach Eddie Bolger and club (St Anne’s BC) Martin Brennan will be working Moylette’s corner in Vargas.
More formal selections will be finalised in the middle of part of July.
Today’s announcement brings the total number of selected athletes for Rio 2016 to 55 from 11 sports.
This is the sixth announcement of selected athletes:
Irish Athletic Boxing Association
Michael O’Reilly – Men’s Middleweight