Three time Olympian and double Bronze medallist, Paddy Barnes, has been elected to the Olympic Federation of Ireland Athletes’ Commission.

Paddy, who competed at Olympiads in Beijing, London and Rio, and took home light fly-weight bronze in 2008 and 2012, was one of 13 athletes elected on to the commission by fellow Olympians.

Paddy, who is an IABA Development Officer in Ulster, will serve a 2 year term of office on the commission.

The members of the OFI Athletes’ Commission for the 2022-2024 term are as follows:

FIRST NAME	SURNAME	SPORT
Brendan	Boyce	Athletics
Paddy	Barnes	Boxing
David	Harte	Hockey
Natalya	Coyle	Modern Pentathlon
Claire	Lambe	Rowing
Sanita	Puspure	Rowing
Annalise	Murphy	Sailing
Shane	O’Connor	Snowsports

The outgoing OFI Athletes’ Commission was appointed in 2017, and consisted of Shane O’Connor (Chair), Gavin Noble (Vice Chair), David Harte (also a member of the EOC Athletes’ Commission), David Gillick (also an athlete representative in Sport Ireland Anti-Doping initiatives), Kenneth Egan, James Nolan, Melanie Nocher and Judy Reynolds.

Over the coming weeks the new OFI Athletes’ Commission will meet informally, in a virtual setting, and will hold its first official meeting soon after.

The IABA extends hearty congratulations to Paddy, who, through his extensive international experience competing at the highest of levels, is well placed to advocate for Ireland’s future Olympians.

Sarah Keane, President of the Olympic Federation of Ireland congratulated the successful candidates, thanking all the athletes who applied,

“Congratulations to all the successful candidates who have now become members of the Olympic Federation of Ireland Athletes’ Commission. We are confident that the athlete voice will be represented well and that you will continue to drive sport forward, each of you bringing with you a wealth of experience.”

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Amendments have been announced to programmes of boxing in the National U22 and U18 Championship on Friday, January 21st and Sunday, January 23rd.

The programme for Saturday, January 22nd is unchanged.

On Friday, January 21st:
Bout 1: Walkover.

On Sunday, January 22nd

Bout 8: Walkover

Bout 9: Walkover

Bout 14: Walkover

Bout 19: Walkover.

Amended programmes for both days, and the programme for Saturday, January 22nd, are attached.

Clubs are requested to notify Registrar, Stephen Connolly, of all withdrawals via: s.connolly1961@yahoo.com

The competitions will be live streamed.

Competition arrangements:

Venue: National Stadium, Dublin.

Dates: January 14th – February 12^th

Entries: An entry fee of €20 applies.

Weigh-in and Medical:  Weigh-ins are daily, on the day of boxing.  A medical will be performed on each boxer on their first day of competition and boxers must complete all Covid-19 medical checks on each day they box. Boxing Record books and entry fee to be presented by the boxer at their initial weigh-in.

Weigh-in dates:  January 14th – February 12th        8.00am – 9.00am & 12.00pm – 1.00pm 

Duration of rounds: Men & Women 3×3 Minutes

Weights:            

Men: 48kg, 51kg, 54kg, 57kg, 60kg, 63.5kg, 67kg, 71kg, 75kg, 80kg, 86kg, 92kg,  92+kg

Women: 48kg, 50kg, 52kg, 54kg, 57kg, 60kg, 63kg, 66kg, 70kg, 75kg, 81kg, 81+kg

It is a condition of entry that all competitors have a signed Waiver/Members Acknowledgement Form and adhere to any agreement made with the Association sponsors.

Anti-Doping may be carried out at any stage of the championships and all boxers must advise the doctor of any medication they are taking or have taken in the preceding 4 weeks. It is imperative that all boxers adhere to the Anti-Doping Rules and Regulations. For any queries regarding this matter, boxers/coaches should contact Mr Larry Morrison, IABA Anti-Doping Officer on 086-0292476.

Non-Pregnancy Declaration forms must be signed.

Attire: Boxers shall have one red and one blue vest. Boxers must not wear long sleeved shirts under their vests. Hair must be tied back, and cloth swimming hats or hairnets should be worn under the headgear for boxers with long hair. No red, orange or pink gum shields are allowed.

Coaches: They must wear track suits and runners at all sessions and endeavour to set a high standard of hygiene in the corners. No shorts, caps or hats are allowed.

Sportsmanship: All decisions must be accepted in a sporting manner. Any complaints must be addressed to the Chief Official, Mr. Stephen Connolly. Please show respect to all Ringside Officials. A document stipulating requirements in relation to conduct and the use of social media must be signed by all boxers and coaches at their initial weigh-in.

Please note that, under AIBA rules, boxers who are engaged in ‘Other Physical Contact Sports’ are not eligible to compete. For more information, please visit www.iba.sport

Covid-19 Precautions: For the duration of this Championships, Covid-19 protocols will be in place and all boxers, coaches, officials must abide by these. The exact protocols that will apply will be made known closer to the event as government guidelines will dictate. Any boxer, coach or official who fails to follow the protocols and directives issued, will be removed from the Championships.

• 

There’s been an incredible response to fundraising efforts to support the continued recovery of Ulster Elite boxer, Stephen McMullan.

Stephen contested the Ulster Elite Final on December 9th. Stephen didn’t require medical attention during his bout, and, with his coaches, left Girdwood Community Hub after the Ulster Elite Finals.

Unfortunately, Stephen fell ill at home, and was admitted to the Royal Victory Hospital on Friday, December 10^th.  

Stephen was discharged from ICU in recent days, but remains in hospital receiving ongoing care and support.

His family have launched a fundraising campaign, to ensure that Stephen has all of the resources to meet his ongoing needs on his discharge from hospital. Over £5,000 has been raised in a matter of days.

Ulster Boxing Council is in on-going contact with Stephen’s family. IABA and the Ulster Boxing Council will continue to provide support to Stephen, his family and his club during this period.

• 

Programmes for boxing in the National U22 & U18 Championships on January 21^st, 22^nd, 23^rd and 28^th have been released.

Any withdrawals should be notified to National Registrar & Chief Official, Stephen Connolly, via s.connolly1961@yahoo.com

The competitions will be live-streamed.

Competition arrangements:

Venue: National Stadium, Dublin.

Dates: January 14th – February 12^th

Entries: An entry fee of €20 applies.

Weigh-in and Medical:  Weigh-ins are daily, on the day of boxing.  A medical will be performed on each boxer on their first day of competition and boxers must complete all Covid-19 medical checks on each day they box. Boxing Record books and entry fee to be presented by the boxer at their initial weigh-in.

Weigh-in dates:  January 14th – February 12th        8.00am – 9.00am & 12.00pm – 1.00pm 

Duration of rounds: Men & Women 3×3 Minutes

Weights:            

Men: 48kg, 51kg, 54kg, 57kg, 60kg, 63.5kg, 67kg, 71kg, 75kg, 80kg, 86kg, 92kg,  92+kg

Women: 48kg, 50kg, 52kg, 54kg, 57kg, 60kg, 63kg, 66kg, 70kg, 75kg, 81kg, 81+kg

It is a condition of entry that all competitors have a signed Waiver/Members Acknowledgement Form and adhere to any agreement made with the Association sponsors.

Anti-Doping may be carried out at any stage of the championships and all boxers must advise the doctor of any medication they are taking or have taken in the preceding 4 weeks. It is imperative that all boxers adhere to the Anti-Doping Rules and Regulations. For any queries regarding this matter, boxers/coaches should contact Mr Larry Morrison, IABA Anti-Doping Officer on 086-0292476.

Non Pregnancy Declaration forms must be signed.

Attire: Boxers shall have one red and one blue vest. Boxers must not wear long sleeved shirts under their vests. Hair must be tied back and cloth swimming hats or hairnets should be worn under the headgear for boxers with long hair. No red, orange or pink gum shields are allowed.

Coaches: They must wear track suits and runners at all sessions and endeavour to set a high standard of hygiene in the corners. No shorts, caps or hats are allowed.

Sportsmanship: All decisions must be accepted in a sporting manner. Any complaints must be addressed to the Chief Official, Mr.Stephen Connolly. Please show respect to all Ringside Officials. A document stipulating requirements in relation to conduct and the use of social media must be signed by all boxers and coaches at their initial weigh-in.

Please note that, under AIBA rules, boxers who are engaged in ‘Other Physical Contact Sports’ are not eligible to compete. For more information please visit www.iba.sport

Covid-19 Precautions: For the duration of this Championships, Covid-19 protocols will be in place and all boxers, coaches, officials must abide by these. The exact protocols that will apply will be made known closer to the event as government guidelines will dictate. Any boxer, coach or official who fails to follow the protocols and directives issued, will be removed from the Championships.

• 

The IABA is seeking expressions of interest from clubs in providing boxing training for adults and children with disabilities.

This survey is anonymous, and will take under five minutes to complete. 

It is available here

The IABA would be grateful for the input in to this expression of interest from as many clubs as possible.