Kellie Harrington on stage with the Outstanding Contribution to Sport Award at The Irish Post Awards 2024 at The Grosvenor House Hotel on November 07, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Antony Jones/Getty Images for The Irish Post)
The Irish Post has honoured two time Olympic champion, Kellie Harrington, with the 2024 Outstanding Contribution to Sport Award.
The St. Mary’s BC, Tallaght, boxer was conferred with her accolade at a gala event in Grosvenor House, London last night.
The Dublin athlete is a double Olympic medallist, winning at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. She also won the 2018 World Championship, along with gold medals at the 2023 European Games and European Championship. Her triumph in Paris this summer makes Kellie the only Irish boxer to contest and win back-to-back Olympic finals.
Kellie’s award was presented to her by former Irish boxer Steve Collins. Speaking to the Irish Post, Kellie said “The first time I competed in Tokyo I really wanted to win for our country, so I done it for our country,” she explained. “The second time around, getting to that mountain, getting to that top again it wasn’t easy, it was hard. So I had decided the second time around I was doing it for me and I was doing it for my family.”
Other Irish people honoured on the night included Ryan Tubridy, Michael Flatley, Laura Whitmore and the Wolfe Tones.
Postal ballots, for election to Central Council, have issued today. Voting is by postal ballot, only. All clubs were requested, between September 21st and October 14th, to review their Secretary’s address in Blocworx and up-date, if required. These ballots have been posted to the address listed for Club Secretaries in clubs’ Blocworx portals as at 5pm on 14th October. The candidates are as follows:
For the Office of President
Donnelly, Anto
Rooney, Philip
White, Nicky
For the Office of Vice President
Brereton, Liam
Duffy, Eugene
Farrell, Gus
For the Office of National Secretary
Robins Mari, Tara
For the Office of National Registrar
Connolly, Stephen
For the Office of Treasurer
Morrison, Larry
For the Eight Ordinary Members
Gallagher, John
Joyce, Johnny
Kelly, Seamus
Keogh, Philip
McGavin, Darren
McGillion, Garry
Moore, Anna
O’Neill, Jim
Osbourne, Paddy
Peake, Sue
White, Anto
The deadline for return of postal ballots to Nexus Accounting, in the enclosed envelope, is 5pm on Monday, November 25th. Ballots returned after this date and time will not be counted. Clubs in Ulster have the option of returning their ballots to a PO Box address. Ulster clubs will find enclosed in their ballot packages two envelopes: one bearing the postal address of IABA’s Auditors, Nexus Accounting, and a second, bearing the PO Box number.
If you have not received your postal ballots by 5pm on Thursday, November 14th, please make contact with info@iaba.ie. We cannot guarantee that re-issued ballots received after this date will arrive at the specified address in sufficient time to allow voting, and return by post.
As a consequence of facilitating a 3-week balloting window for clubs, the AGM of the IABA will now take place on Saturday, November 30th at 12pm at Ringside, the National Stadium.
Registration for the AGM will open on Friday, November 8th, and will close on Thursday, November 28th at 12pm. AGM documentation will issue in due course.
Boxing clubs are being invited to apply to the Texaco Support for Sport initiative.
The Texaco Support for Sport initiative is designed to recognise the important contribution that sports clubs make within Irish society by supporting them in a manner that can benefit them most, through the presentation of a cash prize. It offers 1 (one) sports club based in each county within the Republic of Ireland an opportunity to win a cash prize of €5,000 (Five thousand euros).
Click here to view promotional terms and conditions.
Who is eligible to enter?
Sporting bodies who have been granted tax exemption under Section 235 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 and are featured on a list published by the Office of the Revenue Commissioners on 30th June 2024 are eligible to apply. Click here for details.
Can Northern Ireland sport clubs apply for an award?
Unfortunately, the Texaco Support for Sport initiative is only open to sports clubs based in the Republic of Ireland and entry is not available to clubs that are based in Northern Ireland.
What could my Club win?
There will be a prize available for every county in the Republic of Ireland. One sports club per county will win a cash prize of €5,000 (Five thousand euros) once the initiative’s entrance criteria are fully met.
How many prizes are available to be won?
There will be 1 (one) prize available per county in the Republic of Ireland. The total amount of prizes available is 26 (twenty-six).
What should I be aware of before making an application on behalf of my Club?
Sports clubs that are based in the Republic of Ireland, affiliated to a sporting association or federation in the Republic of Ireland and are represented by a duly authorised individual are eligible to apply.
Applications from sports clubs who have previously applied for or received a Texaco Sportstars Bursary are permitted but those received from clubs who have previously been awarded a Texaco Support for Sport award will not be accepted.
Applicants must hold a valid GS Exemption Number (Games and Sports Exemption Number) issued by the Office of the Revenue Commissioners in respect of sports bodies who have been granted tax exemption under Section 235 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997. Sports clubs must feature on the list published by the Office of the Revenue Commissioners on the 30th June 2024. Click here for details.
The draw has taken place for the 2025 National Elite Championships.
Boxing will take place at the home of Irish Boxing, the National Stadium, Dublin, from Monday November 11th. Finals will be boxed on Friday, November 15th.
Please be advised that, as per Article 46 of the IBA Technical and Competition rules, headguards are removed from Women’s Elite Competitions, this also includes our National Elite Championships. Pro-wraps are permitted. Boxers with pro-wraps hands must present them to an official, as directed by the National Registrar, for inspection before competing.
Boxers who enter the 2025 National Elite Championships but who cannot compete through injury will be required to furnish a medical statement of injury to the National Secretary Antoinette Fay McClean at mccleaniaba@gmail.com
All boxers must contest in their club kit. International kit is not to be worn.
Team Ireland will return from the World Youth Championships in Budva, Montenegro, with 3 gold medals – and have finished the tournament in joint 4th place, out of 78 nations, with China.
66kg Kyla Doyle, of Whitechurch BC stepped between the ropes to contest for gold against Kazakhstan’s Uldana Taubay. Kyla was utterly dominant from the off, forcing several 10-8 rounds for her opponent. The reigning European champion added to her tally of 2024 benchmark golds when her hand was raised and a 5-0 victory declared. The judges scored the bout 26:30; 26:30; 27:30; 25:30; 26:30.
Yesterday, Team Ireland’s Siofra Lawless and Adam Olaniyan made it two-for-two on the first of two days of finals.
Siofra, who boxes out of Four Kings BC in Wicklow, took on Korea’s A Sin Pak for the 63kg title. Siofra’s ringcraft held her in good stead throughout the bout and she increased the scoring gap on her opponent with each successive rounds, relying on agility and a strong leading hand jab. Her hand was raised as the 4-1 winner. Judges scored the bout 30:27; 28:29; 30:27; 30:27; 30: 27. This is Siofra’s second World medal in under a year – she won World Junior gold at the championships in Yerevan, Armenia in December of 2023.
Adam, of Jobstown BC, contested the last bout of the day against Asian champion, Uzbekistan’s Shakzod Polvonov. Adam’s height advantage told from the off and, while his opponent was skillful, Adam superior accuracy, speed and tactical ability won the day on a 5-0 decision. The final scores were 30:27; 29:28; 29:28; 30:27; 30:27. Team Captain Adam is also the reigning European Youth champion at the weight
This is an incredible and historic achievement at World Youth level for Team Ireland. Congratulations to Siofra, Adam and Kyla, their clubs, their families and their local communities.
While 60kg Kayleigh Whelan, 57kg Jamie Graham and 60kg Martin McDonagh all exited the tournament to the eventual champions.
