Boxing NZ’s virus claim
Spiralling costs following the late cancellation of an Olympic qualifying event in Wuhan have left Boxing New Zealand out of pocket and seeking insurance after its fighters narrowly avoided heading to the epicentre of the coronavirus in China.
Last month, nine Kiwi boxers and support staff were four days away from travelling to Wuhan from their training camp in Thailand when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced the cancellation of the Asian/Oceania qualifying event for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The boxing qualifiers were set for Wuhan from February 3-14 but organisers called the event off as the virus, which had infected more than 40,000 people and killed more than 1300 as of this week, began to spread rapidly.
The IOC then announced the qualifiers would instead be held in Amman, Jordan, on March 3-11, but Boxing NZ had a costly logistical nightmare to overcome because its Olympic hopefuls were stranded in Thailand as the outbreak worsened in China and southeast Asia, then went worldwide.
‘‘When Wuhan was cancelled, we had major problems,’’ Keith Walker, chairman of the Boxing NZ board, told Stuff. ‘‘We had to fly them back home and not through China, so we had to buy other air tickets for them.’’
Boxing NZ is planning to lodge an insurance claim in the next week.
Still, the governing body has to fork out up to $40,000 to get its team to Jordan, Walker said.
Among the boxers fighting to reach their first Olympics is David Nyika, a two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist and the best Kiwi prospect for a medal in Tokyo.
March 3-11
Amman, Jordan,
Tasmyn Benny (51kg), Amy Andrew (57kg), Troy Garton (60kg), Ariane Nicholson (69kg)
Dominic Roe (69kg), Ryan Scaife (75kg), Jerome Pampellone (81kg), David Nyika (91kg), Uila Mau’u (91+kg)
Walker said much of their funding for this year would depend on whether their insurance claim was successful.
‘‘We won’t have money to spend on anything else this year unless we can get some sponsorship or support,’’ he said.
‘‘We flew up with China Southern and we weren’t allowed to use them coming back because it went through China. We had to buy new tickets with Qantas, which was double the price we anticipated.’’
Boxing NZ was hopeful its extra spending after the cancelled Wuhan event and its relocation to Jordan could be recouped, Walker said.
The Kiwi team – Nyika, Dominic Roe, Ryan Scaife, Jerome Pampellone and Uila Mau’u (men) and Tasmyn Benny, Amy Andrew, Troy Garton and Ariane Nicholson (women) – have readjusted their training to peak for Jordan but a further complication is that most of them are essentially amateurs who also hold down fulltime jobs.
After taking weeks off work for Thailand and China, another long period of leave could have been impossible because of extra costs and more time away from families.
Nyika is the only one who trains fulltime and receives funding from High Performance Sport New Zealand.
However, Walker said Boxing NZ would give them financial backing and none were giving up their Olympic dream.
‘‘That’s why we’ve made the decision to support them in every way we can,’’ he said. ‘‘Those that have jobs will certainly be struggling.’’
Also, a New Zealand Olympic Committee spokesperson told Stuff they were working to provide extra funding.
Boxing NZ has reorganised flights and accommodation for its fighters, who leave next Friday for a training camp in Assisi, Italy, before heading to Jordan.
The Asian/Oceania qualifying event begins there on March 3 and will be the best opportunity to secure a place at the Tokyo Olympics, starting in July.
The top five fighters in each weight category will qualify but it will not be the last chance. There is the final world Olympic qualifying tournament in May in Paris, France.
However, that is harder to qualify from because it’s a global event with a greater calibre of boxers and it would mean more financial hardship.
2020 Tokyo Olympics boxing qualifiers for Asia/Oceania Where, when:
Boxing New Zealand team Women:
Men: