The IABA’s Board of Directors held an in-person meeting at the National Stadium on Friday, January 31st.
The Board is sharing with members a bulletin, for their information. The Board discussed governance, HR, medical, finance, DEI matters and committees and commissions.
The Board intends to issue a bulletin after every meeting.
Boxing has made it’s debut at a keynote event, committed to showcasing the power of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math’s to teenage girls
I Wish brings STEM education to life in a high energy, fun space, igniting a flame in the minds of girls. Girls will meet some incredible STEM role models and get the opportunity to speak to some of the largest pharmaceutical, engineering and technology companies in the world where they will be able to learn more about college courses, careers and get support to make a more informed choice about subjects and their future careers
As the event got underway at the RDS this morning, boxing was voted the sport participants most wanted to try!
IABA’s team at the event was led by Women in Sport Officer, Sophie Doolan, with Sligo Development Officer Maeve Clarke, and Coach Developer, Sean Duffy
The showcase was attended by hundreds of secondary school age girls from across the country, and speakers included former EU Commissioner, Mairead McGuinness, Olympic finalist sprinter Phil Healy, international rally driver Aoife Raftery, Leanne Broderick, Managing Director at Sisk, Dr. Aoife Marie Murphy, Global Sustainable Nutrition Manager at Kerry Group.
Louth Local Sports Partnership has, in the last hour, opened the 2025 Sports Club & Community Group Physical Activity Participation Grant to applications.
The grant criteria is below, and the application form and supporting information is available HERE. The maximum grant award is €1,500.
The closing date is Wednesday 19th March 2025 at 4pm.
Two Paris Olympic boxers have been unveiled today Olympic Federation of Ireland Dare to Believe Ambassadors.
92kg Jack Marley (Monkstown BC Dublin ) and 57kg Jude Gallagher (Two Castles Olympic BC, Tyrone) join two time Olympic champion Kellie Harrington, Paris Olympian Dean Clancy, double Olympian and Tokyo medalist Aidan Walsh and Paris Olympian Grainne Walsh as Dare to Believe Ambassadors. Boxers make up just under 20% of the Ambassador group.
Olympic boxer Grainne Walsh has been a Dare to Believe ambassador since 2019, and speaking about the impact of the programme on the community from a school visit to Mullingar Educate Together National School, Walsh said “I’ve been a Dare to Believe ambassador since day one, and my journey has grown so much since then. I love visiting the schools to inspire kids because I know how much I would have valued this at their age. It’s all about paving the way for the next generation, passing the baton, and showing them that anything is possible with belief and hard work. Honestly, I get as much from these visits as the kids do. I leave every school feeling fully of positivity and ready to smash my next challenge, so it works both ways. I try to share with the students that setbacks happen, I’ve had my fair share of them, but you have to find a way of getting over them, and believing in yourself. When you do that, success is all the sweeter.”
Sponsored by Allianz Ireland and developed with the support of the IOC Olympic Solidarity Fund, the Olympic Federation of Ireland schools programme aims to inspire the young people of Ireland to ‘Dare to Believe’ in themselves through an interactive curriculum that explores the Olympic Values using Team Ireland role models to bring the messages to life. As it moves into its third phase, thirty-one athlete ambassadors will visit schools across Ireland telling their stories of resilience and teaching students how to set goals, adopt healthy lifestyles through sport, and how sport can be used as a positive societal tool. Resource packs that cover the Olympic Values of Respect & Equality, Healthy Mind & Body, Joy of Effort and Striving for Excellence are sent to schools to prepare for the Dare to Believe Ambassador’s visit. All materials are user-friendly, completely free and are developed in line with the Irish school’s curriculum strands for teachers.
Registration for the Dare to Believe programme is free of charge and all details can be found on www.daretobelieve.ie for both primary and secondary curriculums.
Three IABA High Performance boxers have flown to England today by invitation, to box on England Boxing’s Roaring Lions International Event.
The invited athletes are 48kg Ciara Walsh, Smithfield BC Dublin, 54kg Robyn Kelly of Ballynacargy BC, Westmeath, 75kg Bethany Doocey, Castlebar BC, Mayo – Robyn joined this team following an additional invitiation issued by England Boxing this week.
Ciara and Bethany are members of the High Performance Priority Development Squad, and Robyn is a member of the High Performance Visiting Athlete Squad
England, Ireland and Germany are participating in this multi-nations performance development event.
Ciara will take on Bobbylee Burns. The two last met in December’s Women’s Winter Box Cup 2024 where Ciara was the victor. Robyn will meet Beth Walsh – they last contested at the 2024 Haringey Box Cup Final. Walsh won on a UD. Bethany contests against 19 year old Mary-Kate Smith.
Coaches for this international are HPU Coach Lynne McEnery, and Ger McDaid of Mulhuddart BC.
The Roaring Lions Internaitonal will be boxed at the Magna Science and Adventure Centre in Rotherham on Friday 7th February 2025 from 6pm.
England Boxing has advised the event will not be streamed, but live results will be available on englandboxing.org on the night.
National Performance Head Coach Zauri Antia says “These development opportunities are vitally important for the forward progression of Elite athletes – and we’re delighted to accept England Boxing’s invitation for Ciara, Bethany and Judy. Their preparatory training has been excellent, and we’re expecting highly competitive contests.”
Head of Performance at England Boxing Chris Connelly said, “We’re absolutely thrilled to host the upcoming Roaring Lions international, marking the first time in quite some time that we’ve held an event like this. Germany and Ireland are bringing some exceptional talent, and we’re expecting high-quality, competitive bouts that will really showcase the best of international boxing”.