Age limits increased for Tokyo
THE International Olympic Committee Boxing Task Force (BTR) has officially raised the upper age limit for amateurs at the Tokyo Olympics.
The minimum age for boxers is 19 but the mandatory retirement age for amateurs is 40.
However, that has now been extended to 41 years old for the Tokyo Olympics which has been pushed back to next summer due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Finland’s Mira Potkonen, for instance, turns 40 later this year but the Finn, who beat Katie Taylor at Rio 2016, can now box at Tokyo 2021 if she qualifies.
“The revised Tokyo 2020 qualification system extends the upper age limit eligibility to ensure that all athletes who are eligible in 2020 will remain eligible to compete at the qualification events and Olympic Games in 2021,” said the BTR.
The BTR also confirmed the European qualifiers for Tokyo would be held at a venue to be confirmed next February/march followed by the final World qualifier next May/june.
The European qualifiers were postponed in March 16 in London after three days because of the coronavirus.
Sixteen flyweights and featherweights, including Ireland’s Brendan Irvine, had already qualified by that stage.
Kellie Harrington, Antrim’s siblings Michaela and Aidan Walsh, Michael Nevin, George Bates, Dean Gardiner, Kiril Afanasev and Emmet Brennan were due to fight on March 17/18 but returned home.
The results and Olympic qualification will stand for Belfast ace Irvine who captained the Irish squad in London.