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 17th July at 8pm. The IABA is an Equal Opportunities employer.
As Irish Boxing prepares to celebrate its Olympic centenary, we celebrate every team which has boxed who’ve boxed for Team Ireland.
Today marks 19 days to the first bell at Paris 2024, and we revisit London, 1948. Ireland didn’t contest the 1936 Games, held in Berlin, and no Games were staged in 1940 or 1944, because of WWII
The 1948 Summer Olympics featured 136 medal events, covering 23 disciplines in 17 different sports and in arts.
At the time of the Games, food, petrol and building were still subject to the rationing imposed during the war in Britain; because of this the 1948 Olympics came to be known as the “Austerity Games”. Athletes were given the same increased rations as dockers and miners, 5,467 calories a day instead of the normal 2,600. Building an Olympic Village was deemed too expensive, and athletes were housed in existing accommodation. Male competitors stayed at RAF camps in Uxbridge and West Drayton, and an Army camp in Richmond Park; female competitors in London colleges.
Prior to the first Olympiad after WWII, Ireland had made notable progress and entered its first major tournament besides the Olympics at the 1937 European Elite Championships in Milan; the 1939 European Elite Championships at the National Stadium in Dublin.
The IABA also hosted the 1947 European Championships, the first European Championships after WW2, at the National Stadium. Germany hosted an unofficial European Championships in Germany in 1942. These results were annulled by AIBA after WWII
London 1948 marked the fourth successive Olympics where an Irish boxer reached the semi-finals – which would be enough to secure at least bronze under today’s rules.
Willie Lenihan, who won two bouts, Kevin Martin and Peter Foran, who was beaten by eventual silver medallist, Horrace Herring (USA), and Hugh O’Hagan also registered victories at the 14th Olympiad.
The London Games set a new record for entries for boxing with 205 athletes from 39 nations competing across eight weight divisions.
The Games also took place under the auspices of the Association Internationale de Boxe Amateure (AIBA), who had replaced the Fédération Internationale de Boxe Amateur (FIBA) in 1946. FIBA was dissolved because it had, according to reports. lost credibility because of the conduct of some of its officials during WWII.
The limits in each division, which had remained static since 1920, were adjusted to metric measurements for the 1948 Games: the light-heavyweight class limit changed from 175 lbs./79.38 kg. to 80 kg./177 lbs.
The venue for boxing at the 1948 Games was actually a temporary drawbridge laid out over the Empire Pool at Wembley. Earls Court was also used as a venue for boxing at the 1948 Olympiad.
The 1948 squad won ten and lost nine bouts. Ireland’s stats from four Olympics now stood at: 28 boxers (including boxers who represented Ireland twice) used: Wins 20. Losses 31 (including walkovers for and against). Four boxers through to semi-finals)..
Team Ireland: London 1948
Flyweight: Alf William Barnes (Windsor); Lost to Frantisek Majdloch (Czechoslovakia) Pts
Bantamweight: Willie Lenihan (Arbour Hill) Beat R.G. Behm (Luxembourg) Pts Beat Olavi Ouvinen (Finland) PTS Lost to Giovanni Battista Zuddas (Italy) TKO3
Featherweight: Kevin Martin (Mount Street) Beat Nicholas Linneman (Holland) Pts Lost to eventual gold medallist Ernesto Fermenti (Italy) 0-3
Lightweight: Maxie McCullagh (Corinthians) Beat Tauno Rinkinen (Finland) Pts Beat Ronnie Cooper (Great Britain) Pts Lost to Sven Wad (Denmark) Pts
Welterweight: Peter Foran (St Andrew’s) Beat Gareeb Afifi (Egypt) Pts Lost to eventual silver medallist Horace Herring (USA) Pts
Middleweight: Mick McKeon (ITC) Beat John Keenan (Canada) Pts Beat Hossein Toussi (Iran) Pts Beat Aime-Joseph Escudie (France) Pts Semi-final: Lost to Johnny Wright (Great Britain) Pts
Bronze medal box-off: Lost to Ivano Fontana (Italy) W/O
Light-heavyweight: Hugh O’Hagen (Corinthians) Beat Hans Schwerzmann (Switzerland) Pts Lost to Adrian Holmes (Australia) Pts
Heavyweight: Gearoid O’Colmain (North City) Lost to Uber Baccilieri (Italy) Pts
Check out highlights of the Games here:
Seventeen-year-old American Bob Mathias won the decathlon only four months after taking up the sport. He remains the youngest athlete in Olympic history to win a men’s athletics event. The dominant woman of the Games was sprinter Fanny Blankers-Koen of the Netherlands. She entered four sprint events and won all four.
Karoly Takacs was a member of the Hungarian world champion pistol shooting team in 1938 when a grenade shattered his right hand—his pistol hand. Takacs taught himself to shoot with his left hand and, 10 years later, he won an Olympic gold medal in the rapid-fire pistol event.
IABA is seeking nominations for this year’s Sport Ireland Coach Developer Training course.
Coach Developers, on completion of their training, will deliver IABA coaching courses, including Fundamentals: Assistant Coach and Level One: Club Coach.
IABA’s ability to deliver coaching courses rests on the availability of Coach Developers.
Anyone interested in becoming a Coach Developer and undertaking Sport Ireland Coach Developer Training is asked to review the below, and the IABA Tutor Selection Policy.
Candidates must meet the minimum requirements: a. Garda Vetting/Access NI b. Relevant safeguarding training c. Highest available Coach Education programme within IABA* d. Actively coaching for at least 5 years*
Candidates will be proposed by units/provinces.
IABA will distribute Nomination Forms to candidates.
Candidate will submit Nomination Forms to Sport Ireland (details in email to follow)
A max of 3 candidates per NGB are accepted per year.
The Sport Ireland Lead Trainer of Coach Developers and one other Sport Ireland Trainer of Coach Developers will make the final decision on selections with details of acceptance (or not) onto the course being sent to the IABA.
Considerations: a. Knowledge, skills, and experience as a coach. b. Genuine interest in assisting the development of coaches. c. Willingness to learn. d. Current communication skills. e. Esteem they are held in by their peers.
Reliability.
Availability to commit to the training.
Availability to deliver courses and/or support coaches in the field once they have qualified.
The deadline for submission is next Wednesday, July 10th at 5pm. Submissions should be made to National Development Manager, James Geraghty james@iaba.ie
If the IABA wishes to nominate someone who does not meet these pre-requisites, a case must be made in the nomination form, giving reasons why the IABA requires the nominee to be trained when they do not meet the pre-requisites. One reason might be that they are employed by the IABA, and part of their job will be to deliver courses, therefore they need to be trained. In such instances the nomination will be treated as if the pre-requisites have been met
A draft Rulebook is bring presented for consultation. This is the second round of consultation on the Rulebook. The existing rulebook, adopted in 2019, is available here
The first consultation period through rules@iaba.ie, open to all members of all clubs and units, took place between 21st November and 21st December 2023.
The Rules Committee would like to extend its thanks to Dom Robinson of South East BC & Wexford County Board; Ken Moore of St. Francis BC; James Reynolds of East Down ABC, John King, Ronan Malone of Defence Forces, Gerard Fleming of Neilstown BC, and Andrew Duncan of Rochfortbridge BC for their significant contributions to this process.
The attached draft follows a review conducted by the of the 2019 rulebook, and rulebooks in 2006 and 2017, and a benchmarking of rules against international best practice.
A draft rulebook is now available, and attached. Clubs, Club Members, County Boards, Provincial Units are invited to share their views on this draft to rules@iaba.ie, by 5pm on Friday, July 19th. Once that process is completed, all proposals will be reviewed by the Rules Committee for assessment and inclusion.
Work is continuing on the IABA’s Competition and Technical Rules, which will sit alongside the Rulebook, and communication on this will take place in due course.
The draw for the 2024 National U22 Championships will take place on Tuesday, July 9th at 1pm. Any amendments to entries should be shared with Sally Ann Kinch sally@iaba.ie before 5pm this evening.
The National Registrar, Philip Rooney, has advised that pro-wraps may be worn.
Please be advised that medical exams will take place, as usual, at the point of the boxer’s first weigh-in on their first day of competition and not on Tuesday July 9th, as previously advised.
40 boxers contesting these championships have yet to complete their waiver. This process opened on June 17th, and can be completed here: https://shout.com/s/klTvKnTz
Weigh-In:
Boxers will be required to bring their Irish passport, or confirmation of application for an Irish passport, to their first weigh-in. No data will be retained from their passport.
