With 17 days to go to the first bell at Paris 2024, we continue our celebration of the Irish Olympic boxing centenary, by celebrating the team of Rome, 1960.

It took 64 years for Team Ireland to qualify a Boxing Team equal in size to that which contested Rome – 10 boxers will vie for gold at Paris 2024

Irish boxing travelled to Italy with optimism after finishing in four podium positions at the 1956 Games.

Five medals had been secured from the last two Olympiads, two silver and three bronze. Confidence was high ahead of the competition at the Palazzo dello Sport venue. But there was no joy for Irish pugilism in the Eternal City as none of the ten-strong squad, Ireland’s biggest ever Olympic boxing panel, medalled.

Bernie Meli, at 20 the youngest member of the Irish squad, beat Greek light-welterweight Michail Dememtre in his opening bout but lost to Bohumil Nemecek of Czechoslovakia, who went on to win gold.

Omagh BC lightweight Danny O’Brien also opened his account with a win, beating Esteban Aguilar from the upcoming boxing nation of Cuba. However, he then went out to the eventual silver medallist, Sandro Lopopolo of Italy, in the next round.

The great Harry Perry, a multiple Irish champion, came unstuck. The Dubliner, appearing in back-to-back Olympics and a bronze medal winner at the 1959 European Championships in Switzerland, dropped a split decision to Korea’s Ki-soo Kim in his opening bout.

Cork’s Paddy Kenny, Ando Reddy, Mick Reid and Eamonn McKeon chalked up victories in Rome.

Colin McCoy was beaten in the light-heavyweight class by Finland’s Matti Aho, who was eliminated by Bulgaria’s Petar Stankov in the last-16. Meanwhile, Kenny, who sold copies of the Echo of the streets of Cork as a young man, beat Emile Anner of Switzerland and Crumlin BC light-middle Reid saw off Brazil’s Helio Crescencio in their opening contests.

Hosts Italy, with three gold, three silver and one bronze medal, topped the medals table at the 1960 Games.

The Rome Olympiad was the first Olympics to be televised. There was no change to the boxing program, with the same ten classes that had been contested at Helsinki in 1952 and Melbourne in 1956. The scoring system in 1960 was slightly new, as there were now five judges instead of three as at previous Olympics.

An 18-year-old American called Cassius Marcellus Clay, later to be known as Muhammad Ali, won four bouts en route to light-heavyweight gold at the 1960 Olympics in Rome. Thus began a career that transcended sport.

Team Ireland: Rome 1960

Flyweight: Adam McLean (Crown)
Lost to Karimu Young (Nigeria) 1-4

Bantamweight: Paddy Kenny (Cork News Boys & Coventry Irish)
Beat Emile Anner (Switzerland) 5-0
Lost to Jerry Armstrong (USA) 2-3

Featherweight: Ando Reddy (Sandymount)
Beat Andre Juncker (France) 3-2
Lost to Abel Bekker (Rhodesia) 0-5

Lightweight: Danny O’Brien (Omagh)
Beat Esteban Aguilar (Cuba) 5-0
Lost to to eventual silver medallist Sandro Lopopolo (Italy) 0-5

Light-welterweight: Bernie Meli (Immaculata)
Beat Michail Demetre (Greece) 5-0
Lost to eventual gold medallist Bohumil Nemecek (Czechoslovakia) 0-5

Welterweight: Harry Perry (British Rail)
Lost to Ki-soo Kim (Korea) 2-3

Light-middleweight: Mick Reid (Crumlin)
Beat Helio Crescencio (Brazil) 4-1
Lost to Henryk Dampe (Poland) 0-5

Middleweight: Eamonn McKeon (Crumlin)
Beat Mohammed Ben Gandoubi (Tunisia) 5-0
Lost to Frederik van Rooyen (South Africa) 0-5

Light-heavyweight: Colin McCoy (Kilcullen)
Lost to Matti Aho (Finland) 1-4

Heavyweight: Joe Casey (Arbour Hill)
Lost to Obrad Sretenovic (Yugoslavia) 0-5

Check out Rome’s Opening Ceremony:

The 1960 Summer Olympics featured 17 different sports encompassing 23 disciplines, and medals were awarded in 150 events.

Running barefoot, the Ethiopian runner Abebe Bikila did not go unnoticed when he entered the marathon. He refused to be daunted by condescending remarks, however, leaving all his opponents behind and crossing the finishing line victorious under Constantine’s triumphal arch. In doing so, he became the first Black African Olympic champion.

Paul Elvstrom of Denmark won his fourth consecutive yachting gold medal in the single-handed dinghy class. Hungarian fencer Aladar Gerevich earned his sixth consecutive gold medal in the team sabre event, and in canoeing Sweden’s Gert Fredriksson won his sixth gold medal.

The 1st Paralympic Games were held in Rome in conjunction with the 1960 Summer Olympics, marking the first time such events coincided.

IABA is proud to support clean sport with the release of the iBoxClean programme – this is designed to raise awareness of anti-doping in our sport, and provide learning and education opportunities for boxers, coaches, club support staff and parent/guardians.

Doping is contrary to the spirit of our sport. Every boxer, coach, club administrator, bout official, elected official, clubs and unit has a responsibility to ensure Boxing is free of doping.  Members are bound by this policy, and by the provisions of Rule 7.5 of IABA’s Rulebook

There are 11 anti-doping rule violations, of which almost half also apply to coaches, so it is vital that coaches go on the anti-doping learning journey with their boxers. More information on Anti-Doping regulations is available through Sport Ireland, here, and through WADA, here

IABA Anti-Doping Tutor, Bee O’Callaghan, shares an over-view of anti-doping

iBoxClean learning

Boxers, parents/guardians, coaches and club support staff can register for any one of the 13 iBoxClean anti doping workshops running in 2024 here

Month	Workshop 1	Location	Time	Workshop 2	Location	Target Group	Time
March	25th	Zoom	1pm	6th	Zoom	Coaches	7.30pm
April	29th	Zoom	1pm	17th	Zoom	Parents	7.30pm
May	27th	Zoom	1pm	8th	Zoom	Boxers	7.30pm
June	24th	Zoom	1pm	12th	Zoom	Coaches	7.30pm
July	29th	Zoom	1pm	10th	Zoom	Parents	7.30pm
August	25th	Zoom	1pm
September	30th	Zoom	1pm
October	28th	Zoom	1pm
November	25th	Zoom	1pm
December

Whilst some of the workshops have a particular focus on either boxers, parents or coaches, any member of any IABA affiliated club can attend any of the workshops.      

iBoxClean Ambassador, Jack Marley, shares his experience of in-competition Anti-Doping testing

Independent Anti-Doping learning

IABA recognises that the iBoxClean calendar may not align with everyone’s schedules, and is sharing this suite of independent learning resources, provided by Sport Ireland and WADA, the World Anti-Doping Agency:

• Sport Ireland’s anti-doping eLearning tool
• WADA’s anti-doping eLearning for international athletes
• WADA’s anti-doping eLearning for national athletes
• WADA’s anti-doping eLearning for talented/pre HP athletes
• WADA’s anti-doping eLearning for coaches
• WADA’s anti-doping eLearning for support staff
• WADA’s anti-doping eLearning for parents.

The 2024 Prohibited List

The Prohibited List is a mandatory International Standard as part of the World Anti-Doping Program. The List is updated annually following an extensive consultation process facilitated by WADA. The effective date of the List is 01 January 2024, also available here

iBoxClean Ambassador, Kellie Harrington, on how she ensures her supplements comply with Anti Doping rules:

Supplements and Medication Checking

The Sport Ireland Medcheck and GlobalDro are the only ways for boxers to check that their medications meet Anti-Doping Standards

Therapeutic Use Exemptions

Find out more on TUEs, and apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption for certain medications here

Additional Anti-Doping Resources

Sport Ireland’s full suite of anti-doping learning, and information, is available here

WADA, the World Anti-Doping Agency’s full suite of anti-doping learning and information is available here

Irish boxing took home its greatest ever haul of Olympic medals in Melbourne, a 4 medal feat that wouldn’t be repeated until London 2012. Fred Tiedt, John Caldwell, Freddie and Tony Byrne claimed one silver and three bronze medals Down Under.

Dublin-born Tiedt, boxing in the welterweight class, went all the way to the final but was on a receiving end of a highly controversial split decision reversal to Nicolae Linca of Romania.

Linca was awarded a 3-2 verdict amid hoots of derision at the West Melbourne Stadium. Even the official Olympic dispatch specifically mentioned the 1956 welterweight final.

It read: “Probably the most unlucky boxer was Tiedt (Ireland) who lost a close final to Linca (Romania) after he had come through three very hard fights in his division against Aeleskra (Poland), Lane (USA) and Hogarth (Australia).”

But despite the protests, Tiedt, a great stalwart of the Trinity College Boxing Club, had to settle for silver.

Meanwhile, Belfast’s Freddie Gilroy found himself under the spotlight because of politics.

The 1956 Games took place amid the backdrop of the Soviet Union’s invasion of Hungary and any contest between a boxer from the “West” and the USSR was attracting the attention of the media.

Gilroy, of the St John Bosco BC, was in against Boris Stepanov of the USSR and provoked an international sensation after flooring his opponent in the third.

“He was a hot favourite to lift the gold, but I caught him with a sweet left hook in the third round and I knew he was not getting back up,” said Gilroy, who went on the beat Italy’s Mario Sitri in the quarter-finals – a win that secured at least bronze – before losing to Germany’s Wolfgang Behrendt, the eventual gold medallist, in the semi-finals.

Belfast flyweight Caldwell also took the early route to victory in his opening bout, a third-round KO of Wi Yaishwe of Burma setting up a quarter-final with Warner Bachelor of Australia, which the Immaculata BC man won to guarantee Ireland at least another bronze. He then lost out to Mircea Dobrescu of Romania for a place in the final.

“I was so overjoyed to be representing Ireland and wearing the green vest on such a stage. Just being there at such a young age was something special and I still find it hard to explain that feeling, “said Caldwell, who, at 18, was the youngest member of the Irish 1956 boxing squad.. Caldwell turned professional in 1958 and won the World bantamweight title in London.

Drogheda’s Tony “Socks” Byrne also claimed bronze in Melbourne. The Ireland team captain, who carried the Irish flag in Melbourne, beat Josef Chovanec of Czechoslovakia and Louis Molina (USA) before losing to German lightweight Harry Kurschat in his semi-final.

On the same day, December 1st, 1956, that Tiedt was controversially beaten by Linca, Ronnie Delaney left the rest of the world in his slipstream to claim 1500m gold at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, setting a new Olympic record in the process.

The Irish Olympic 1956 Olympic team arrived home through Shannon Airport in early December with one gold, one silver and three bronze medals. Martin Smyth, Harry Perry and Patrick “Pa” Sharkey, who was living in Australia, lost their first bouts in Melbourne, with Smyth losing to Finland’s Pentti Hamalainen, who beat John McNally in the 1952 Olympic final

The USSR finished on top of the medals table in the boxing event at the 1956 Games. Ireland finished in 7th position. The 1956 Games marked the first Olympic in which Ireland won more bouts (9) than it lost (6)

Team Ireland: Melbourne 1956

Flyweight: Johnny Caldwell (Immaculata) – Bronze

Beat Wi Yaishwe (Burma) KO3
Beat Warner Batchelor (Australia) 3-0
Lost to Mircea Dobrescu (Romania) 0-3

Bantamweight: Freddie Gilroy (St John Bosco) – Bronze

Beat Boris Stepanov (USSR) KO3
Beat Mario Sitri (Italy) 3-0
Lost to eventual gold medallist Wolfgang Behrendt (Germany) 0-3

Featherweight Martin Smyth (Star)
Lost to Pentti Hamalainen (Finland KO2

Lightweight: Tony Byrne (Tredagh) – Bronze

Beat Josef Chovanec (Czechoslovakia) DQ3
Beat Louis Molina (USA) 3-0
Lost to Harry Kurschat (Germany) 0-3

Light-welterweight: Harry Perry (British Rail)
Lost to Claude Saluden (France) 0-3

Welterweight: Fred Tiedt (South City) – Silver

Beat Tadeusz Walasek (Poland) 3-0
Beat Pearce Lane (USA) 3-0
Beat Kevin Hogarth (Australia) 3-0
Lost to Nicolae Linca (Romania) 2-3

Heavyweight: Paddy Sharkey (Sydney)
Lost to Thorner Ahsman (Sweden) KO3

Check out these highlights from Melbourne:

The 1956 Summer Olympics featured 17 different sports encompassing 23 disciplines, and medals were awarded in 151 events (145 events in Melbourne and 6 equestrian events in Stockholm). The Olympic equestrian events could not be held in Melbourne due to Australia’s strict quarantine regulations,so they were held in Stockholm five months earlier. This was the second time the Olympics were not held entirely in one country, the first being the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium, with some events taking place in Ostend, Belgium, and Amsterdam, Netherlands. 

Prior to 1956, the athletes in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies marched in alphabetical order by National Olympic Committees. However, in Melbourne, following a suggestion by a young Chinese apprentice carpenter living in Australia named John Ian Wing, the athletes entered the stadium together during the Closing Ceremony as a symbol of global unity.

IABA is recruiting an Ulster Operations Manager on a maternity cover contract. This is a high responsibility role, working in collaboration with Ulster Boxing Council and the County Antrim Board, with the strategic focus on improving and developing boxing within Ulster.

Job Purpose:
The post-holder will oversee all operations of the IABA Ulster Branch, with the strategic focus on
improving and developing boxing within Ulster. The role will work closely with the Ulster Boxing
Council and the County Antrim Board, whilst reporting to the IABA. The post will be responsible for
the implementation of the IABA Strategic Plan and the Ulster Boxing Council’s Strategy, while also
continuing to deliver recommendations of the report of the Independent Working Group Examining
Boxing in Ulster. The post will be responsible for all financial, staff and governance management within
the Branch and provide governance support to the IABA. The post-holder will seek a variety of funding
and other sponsorship and revenue sources to support and increase service development within
Ulster.
The IABA is seeking an experienced manager to lead the IABA Ulster Branch operations. The person
will be highly organised with the ability to multi-task and manage their time in a highly efficient
manner. You will also have a high level of verbal, written and inter-personal communication skills.
You will have experience in managing people, resources, budgets and have experience in organising
and administering good governance practices.
This post is a maternity cover contract until up to 31st July 2025, with the possibility of extension,
subject to continuation of funding.

Applications

To apply please send your CV and a Cover Letter to HR@iaba.ie. Closing date Wednesday 17^th July at 8pm.  The IABA is an Equal Opportunities employer.

Role Description

IABA is re-platforming the calendar of Safeguarding One workshops for 2024. All adults – coaches, committee members and non-coaching volunteers – in every club who have contact with children are required to have undertaken Safeguarding 1.

Two courses will take place every month, March to November. Acknowledging that club members have a variety of schedules and that no one time will be best for all, a percentage of courses will take place in the evenings, a percentage during weekday lunchtimes and a percentage on Saturdays. Workshops on Safeguarding 2 and Safeguarding 3 will be made available later in 2024.

Book your place here

In keeping with Sport Ireland best practice in Safeguarding training, workshops will be limited to 16 participants. In keeping with norms across the sporting community, the cost for this workshop is E15. Registration for each course will close 2 days before the date, and those who’ve registered will be sent payment information. The participation reservation will expire if payment is not received by 5pm on the scheduled day of the workshop.

Refresher

For all club members who have completed Safeguarding 1 training, but who wish to refresh their knowledge, the online Sport Ireland Safeguarding 1 refresher course is available here

Additional Information: For any additional information, please contact IABA’s National Safeguarding Manager, Stephen Flynn, at stephen@iaba.ie