Category: African
African qualifying event
The IOC Boxing Task Force mourns the loss of Raj Kumar Sacheti
05/05/2021
Lausanne, 05 May 2021 – It is with deep sadness that the IOC Boxing Task Force (BTF) learned the shocking news that the Boxing Federation of India’s Executive Director, Raj Kumar Sacheti, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 56.
Mr. Sacheti was an active member of the IOC Boxing Task Force Experts Group since its creation in 2019 and he contributed greatly to the implementation of the BTF’s mission through his experience and passion for the sport.
The Chairman of the IOC Boxing Task Force, Mr. Morinari Watanabe, said: “We mourn the loss not only of an experienced sport leader, but also of a good friend and true supporter of the Olympic Movement. The premature departure of Raj Kumar Sacheti certainly creates a huge void in the sports world and in the boxing community.”
“In the name of the International Olympic Committee and of the IOC Boxing Task Force, we would like to express our deepest condolences and most sincere sympathy to the Indian Olympic Association, the Boxing Federation of India, the boxing community of India, and the family of Mr. Sacheti,” continued Mr. Watanabe. “His dedication, passion, and restless efforts for the development of the sport and the implementation of the Olympic values will not be forgotten.”
Novedades sobre el Clasificatorio de Boxeo de América para Tokyo 2020 en Buenos Aires
15/04/2021
Lausana, 15 de abril de 2021 – El Grupo de Trabajo sobre Boxeo del COI (BTF) ha estado monitoreando la situación en Argentina y América antes del Clasificatorio de Boxeo de América para Tokyo 2020, que estaba previsto en Buenos Aires (Argentina) del 10 al 16 de mayo de 2021.
En las últimas semanas, se han venido adoptando restricciones de viaje y cuarentenas en toda la región, lo que ha perturbado considerablemente los viajes internacionales y ha planteado problemas logísticos a los equipos que viajan hacia y desde Buenos Aires, lo que dificulta la posibilidad de participar en el torneo.
Puesto que se trata de un clasificatorio olímpico con un número importante de plazas (49) para los Juegos Olímpicos Tokyo 2020, es sumamente importante garantizar un acceso equitativo y la seguridad de todos los atletas y oficiales, en consonancia con los principios que han guiado la labor del BTF, que sigue comprometido a garantizar un proceso de clasificación olímpica justo y equitativo, ofrecer certeza a los atletas y darles suficiente tiempo para prepararse para Tokyo 2020, sin menoscabo de la salud y la seguridad de los atletas.
Lamentablemente, la situación actual de la región no ofrece las garantías necesarias para que estos principios se cumplan en el torneo previsto en Buenos Aires.
Por ello, tras una exhaustiva evaluación y diversas consultas con equipos, embajadores de los atletas del BTF y expertos en boxeo, así como con el Comité Organizador Local, el BTF ha decidido cancelar el torneo de clasificación y reestructurar el proceso de clasificación de América para Tokyo 2020.
Se estudiaron opciones alternativas, pero dada la complejidad del acontecimiento, la naturaleza del deporte y el gran número de participantes internacionales (400 personas de 80 naciones, oficiales técnicos incluidos), se estimó inviable cambiar la sede de competición a menos de cuatro semanas de la fecha prevista o aplazar su celebración a una fecha posterior.
«Esta es una decisión difícil, pero pone a los boxeadores en el centro de la decisión y brinda certeza a atletas, federaciones nacionales y comités olímpicos nacionales de cara a los Juegos Olímpicos Tokyo 2020 —afirmó el presidente del BTF, Morinari Watanabe—.La evolución de la situación en Argentina y en toda la región, y las consiguientes restricciones de viaje hacia y desde Buenos Aires, podrían haber provocado que los atletas y sus equipos no pudiesen participar en el clasificatorio, lo cual es un riesgo que no se podía tolerar».
Por lo tanto, se ha reestructurado el proceso de clasificación para la región América con el fin de adecuarlo a la cancelación del torneo de clasificación. El BTF ha confirmado el siguiente enfoque:
- Teniendo en cuenta que únicamente los boxeadores inscritos en el Clasificatorio de Boxeo de América para Tokyo 2020 habrían podido optar a una plaza olímpica, la atribución de las 49 plazas correspondientes a dicho clasificatorio (33 masculinas y 16 femeninas) estará limitada a los deportistas inscritos en él.
- Las 49 plazas del Clasificatorio de Boxeo de América para Tokyo 2020 se atribuirán en función del ranking del BTF, de conformidad con la cláusula D.3 del sistema de clasificación de boxeo de Tokyo 2020 (versión de marzo de 2021).
- La atribución de las 13 plazas inicialmente previstas para el Clasificatorio de Boxeo Mundial y redirigidas a América se efectuará después de la atribución de las 49 plazas correspondientes al Clasificatorio de América y se regirá por los criterios de admisibilidad del sistema de clasificación en vigor. La inscripción de boxeadores por parte de sus federaciones nacionales y CON respectivos para participar en el Clasificatorio de Boxeo de América se entenderá como «participantes en una (1) prueba de clasificación olímpica organizada por el Grupo de Trabajo sobre Boxeo» y servirá, junto con otros criterios, para asignar dichas plazas.
Tras la aprobación formal por parte de la Comisión Ejecutiva del COI, prevista el 7 de mayo, se publicará una versión enmendada del sistema de clasificación de boxeo para Tokyo 2020 que refleje los citados cambios.
El Clasificatorio de Boxeo de Europa para Tokyo 2020 se retomará en París (Francia) del 4 al 8 de junio.
Update on the Boxing Road to Tokyo Americas qualifier in Buenos Aires
15/04/2021Lausanne, 15 April 2021 – The IOC Boxing Task Force (BTF) has been monitoring the situation in Argentina and the Americas, ahead of the Boxing Road to Tokyo Americas qualifier scheduled to take place in Buenos Aires (ARG) from 10 to 16 May 2021.
In recent weeks, tighter travel restrictions and lockdowns have been implemented across the region, which have significantly disrupted international travel and pose logistical challenges to teams travelling to and from Buenos Aires, jeopardising their ability to participate in the event.
Given the nature of the event as an Olympic qualifier which will award a large number of direct quota places (49) for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, ensuring fair access and a safe environment for all athletes and officials is of the greatest importance. This is in line with the key principles followed by the BTF, which remains committed to delivering a fair and equitable Olympic qualification process, providing certainty to the athletes and allowing sufficient time for them to prepare for Tokyo 2020, while always prioritising athlete health and safety.
Unfortunately, the current situation in the region does not provide the assurances needed for these principles to be followed at the event scheduled in Buenos Aires.
For this reason, after a thorough assessment and consultations with teams, the BTF’s Athlete Ambassadors and boxing experts plus the Local Organising Committee, the BTF has decided to cancel the event and restructure the Tokyo 2020 qualification pathway for the Americas region.
The BTF studied alternative options, but due to the complexity and nature of the sport of boxing and the large number of international participants (400 people from 80 nations, including technical officials) it was deemed not possible either to change the location, with less than four weeks to go, or to reschedule the event to a later date.
“This is a difficult decision, but it is one that puts boxers first and gives athletes, National Federations and National Olympic Committees certainty ahead of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020,” said the BTF Chair, Mr Morinari Watanabe. “The development of the situation in Argentina and across the region, and the resulting travel restrictions to and from Buenos Aires, could have resulted in athletes and teams not being able to participate in the qualifier, which is a risk that could not be taken.”
The Tokyo 2020 boxing qualification pathway for the Americas region has therefore been restructured in order to reflect the cancellation of the event. The BTF has confirmed the following approach:
- Considering that only the boxers registered to compete in the Americas qualifier would have had a chance to gain one of the Olympic quota places originally at stake in the event, the allocation of the 49 athlete quota places (33 for men, 16 for women) of the Americas Olympic Qualifier will remain exclusive to the athletes registered for the event.
- All 49 quota places of the Americas Olympic Boxing Qualifiers will be allocated via the BTF Ranking in accordance with the section D.3 currently found in the Tokyo 2020 Qualification System for boxing (dated March 2021).
- The reallocation of the 13 quota places originally due to be obtained at the World Olympic Qualifier and redirected to the Americas will be conducted only after allocation of the 49 athlete quota places of the Americas Olympic Qualifier, and will follow the Eligibility Criteria found in the current Tokyo 2020 Qualification System for boxing. It should be noted that the registration of the athletes by their relevant National Federation and NOC to participate in the Americas Olympic Boxing Qualifiers will be understood as “participating in one (1) of the Olympic Qualification Events organised by the Boxing Task Force” and serve, along with the other criteria, for the purposes of allocating such quota places.
An updated version of the Tokyo 2020 Qualification System for boxing – reflecting the aforementioned changes – will be published following formal approval by the IOC Executive Board, which is expected by 7 May.
The Boxing Road to Tokyo European Qualifier is due to resume in Paris (FRA), where the event will be held from 4 to 8 June.
Paris selected to host the Boxing Road to Tokyo European Qualifier
02/03/2021Lausanne, 02 March 2021 – Following the IOC Boxing Task Force (BTF) decision to restructure the Tokyo 2020 boxing Olympic qualifying path, the BTF has selected Paris (FRA) as the host city of the European Boxing Road to Tokyo Qualifier. As previously communicated, the event will take place from 4 to 8 June 2021.
The BTF has selected Paris as part of its initial commitment to organise its events in the host countries of recent or upcoming Olympic Games, and because of the opportunity to continue to benefit from its already established relationship with the Local Organising Committee, which was originally entrusted to organise the now-cancelled Final World Qualifier.
The European Qualifier will resume from where it was suspended on 16 March 2020. The official draw, conducted in London on 13 March 2020, and the competition schedule that resulted from this draw, will remain valid. The established results (recorded between 14 and 16 March 2020 in London) and the 16 Olympic quota places earned on 16 March 2020 will remain valid for the boxing tournament of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
Tokyo 2020 boxing Olympic qualifying path to be restructured
15/02/2021Lausanne, 15 February 2021 – In the past 10 days, and reflecting the IOC Boxing Task Force (BTF) goals of transparency and putting athletes first, the BTF has consulted all boxing NFs, NOCs, its technical experts, the boxing Athlete Ambassadors and medical experts for their input, to understand the individual situations and considerations for the remaining Olympic boxing qualification events. This has included a review of the current challenges to international travel and related restrictions in many countries, and the resulting impacts on a fair and equitable Olympic qualification process.
The main consensus of the feedbacks received on the remaining boxing Olympic qualification process was as follows:
- To ensure fair and safest possible conditions for the boxers from all regions, including having the same opportunity to recover and properly prepare for both the qualifiers and, more importantly, the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020;
- The importance of safeguarding the minimum period of 30 days between consecutive events (i.e. the last Continental Olympic Qualifier and the Final World Qualifier, and the Final World Qualifier and the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020), especially given the current situation; and
- Additional concerns regarding the ever-evolving travel restrictions, quarantine requirements and governmental policies that could affect the athletes’ preparation timelines, their ability and ability to participate in the Olympic qualifiers and the presence of technical officials at these qualifiers.
The BTF met on 12 February 2021 and reinforced the health and safety of the athletes as the key focus, along with prioritising the Continental Olympic Qualifiers. This prioritisation of the continental events:
- Ensures that athletes of all regions have a fair and equal opportunity to qualify;
- Increases the time for athlete recovery and appropriate preparation for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, reinforcing the BTF’s focus on medical and safety considerations; and
- Protects the BTF rankings and seeding system for the Tokyo 2020 boxing tournament.
Therefore, after exploring all possible scenarios, the BTF has decided to restructure the remaining parts of the boxing qualification pathway for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 as detailed below.
Completion of continental qualification events
The African and Asian/Oceanian continental qualification events have been completed, and the European qualification event has been partially completed.
European Olympic Qualifier:
The European Olympic Qualifier, initially scheduled to be held in London (GBR) in April 2021, has now been pushed back to June 2021. The location and dates will be confirmed as soon as possible.
Americas Olympic Qualifier:
The Americas Olympic Qualifier has been confirmed to take place in Buenos Aires (ARG) from 10 to 16 May 2021.
Replacement of World Olympic Qualifier with use of BTF rankings
As a consequence of prioritising the Continental Olympic Qualifiers, and the rescheduling of the European Olympic Qualifier, the final stage of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic boxing qualification process has been restructured. The final World Olympic Qualifier, scheduled to take place in Paris (FRA) in June 2021, will not be held.
The 53 quota places (32 men and 21 women) planned to be allocated at the final World Olympic Qualifier will now be allocated equally across the four regions (Africa, Americas, Asia/Oceania and Europe) and all the weight categories. Following the fundamental principle of universality, one nominal quota (by name) will be allocated to the best ranked athlete not yet qualified per region and per weight category, as per the BTF rankings upon the conclusion of each respective continental event.
This ensures a new reallocation pathway, which is based on international on-field results recorded over the past four years (2017-2021), including but not limited to the BTF Olympic Qualification Events.
To ensure the utmost transparency and integrity of the allocation process, the BTF rankings were reviewed by an external auditor to ensure that all results have been accounted for accurately and in compliance with the BTF’s “Summary on Ranking & Seeding for the Olympic Boxing Qualifying Events and the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020”.
Athlete Ambassador Mary Kom of India – Olympic bronze medallist (London 2012) and six-time World Champion – added: “I would like to thank the Boxing Task Force for listening to our feedback, and for putting the health and safety of the athletes first in their decision process. BTF events are Olympic qualifiers, we should never forget that. Everybody deserves a fair opportunity to participate and have the appropriate time to recover after a competition and to prepare for the Olympic Games.”
Athlete Ambassador Shelley Watts – a Rio 2016 Olympian and a 2014 Commonwealth Games Champion from Australia – said: “All boxers from all regions should have the same opportunity to prepare, compete and qualify for the games & recover between events. While I feel sorry for the athletes not getting a chance to compete in a Final World qualifier, I 100% support the BTF’s solution to rearrange the qualification pathway to Tokyo 2020 in the best interests of all athletes!”
“This is the best way forward,” continued Athlete Ambassador Lukmon Lawal, London 2012 Olympian and 2011 All Africa Games silver medalist from Nigeria. “The BTF found a way to reorganise the Olympic Qualification path in a transparent manner. The continental qualifiers are protected, and the best boxers in the world will have another chance to qualify for the Games through on-field results accounted in the BTF Ranking.”
2016 Olympic Silver medalist and 2008 World Champ Sarah Ourahmoune, an Athlete Ambassador from France, said: “In my opinion, cancelling the Final World Qualifier and using the BTF World Ranking to distribute the 53 Olympic Quotas is the best option, in today’s context. This ensures that no athlete is excluded from the new qualification pathway to Tokyo 2020. We should not forget how many nations around the world are now facing travel restrictions and quarantine periods that affect boxers’ preparation and ability to compete.”
An updated version of the Tokyo 2020 Qualification System for Boxing – reflecting the aforementioned changes – will be published as soon as possible following the formal approval of the IOC Executive Board, which is expected by the end of February 2021.
Tokyo 2020 Boxing European Qualifier update
29/01/2021Lausanne, 2021/01/29 – The Boxing Task Force (BTF), in a virtual meeting conducted yesterday, decided that the European Qualifier for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Boxing tournament will no longer be taking place in London in April.
The decision was taken in light of the current situation and increased travel restrictions to/from the UK and taking into consideration the feedback received from the European Boxing Federations and NOCs.
The BTF is currently evaluating all possible options (including April in another location) and will provide an update regarding the European Qualifier on 17 February 2021.
The BTF would like to express its gratitude to the British Olympic Association, GB Boxing, UK Sport and all their stakeholders involved for their great commitment and efforts in supporting us during these extremely difficult and ever evolving times.
European boxing qualifier suspended, all results to be valid when the competition resumes
17/03/2020In light of the constantly changing landscape worldwide, the IOC Boxing Task Force (BTF) decided to suspend the Boxing Road to Tokyo European qualifier in London, Great Britain, after the last bout of the third day of competition on 16 March.
The BTF eventually took the decision to suspend the event – as well as the subsequent Americas and world qualifiers – amid increasing global travel restrictions and quarantine measures, in order to allow the participants from over 60 countries to adjust their travel plans and return home.
The BTF’s priority remains the qualification of athletes on the field of play, and it aims to complete the distribution of the remaining Tokyo 2020 boxing quota places in May and June.
When it resumes, the European qualifier will pick up from where it was suspended. The official draw, conducted in London on 13 March 2020, and the competition schedule that resulted from this draw, will remain valid and will apply when the event resumes. Only those athletes who were still in the event at the end of the third day of competition will be eligible to participate when the competition resumes. The established results (recorded between 14 and 16 March 2020 in London) will be valid moving forward, and the 16 Olympic quota places earned on 16 March will be valid for the boxing tournament of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
Once again, the BTF would like to thank the host nations, the organising committees and all the participants involved for their support and tremendous efforts in dealing with this extraordinary situation.
Please do not hesitate to contact us at info@olympicboxing.sport.
IOC Boxing Task Force suspends European qualifier in London and all remaining events until May
16/03/2020In light of the constantly changing landscape worldwide, the IOC Boxing Task Force (BTF) has decided today to suspend the current Boxing Road to Tokyo European qualifier in London, Great Britain, and the subsequent Americas and final world qualifiers, which were scheduled to take place in May.
The European qualifier, which started on 14 March and was planned to run until 24 March, will be closed after today’s evening session.
Safeguarding the well-being of the athletes, officials and all other participants is a top priority for the BTF. Since the preparation phase of the event, the BTF has been working in close cooperation with the Local Organising Committee (LOC) – the delivery body of the competition – as well as its stakeholders, its own medical experts and the national health authorities, to set up the necessary precautionary measures.
The BTF eventually took the decision to suspend the event today, amid increasing global travel restrictions and quarantine measures, in order to allow the participants from over 60 countries to adjust their travel plans and return home.
The BTF will continue to evaluate the situation daily, aiming to complete the distribution of the remaining Tokyo 2020 boxing quota places in May and June. The BTF’s priority remains the qualification of athletes on the field of play, and it will inform all stakeholders as soon as more information is available.
At the same time, the IOC is fully committed to the success of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, as was recently outlined again in the following statement: https://www.olympic.org/news/ioc-statement-on-the-olympic-flame-lighting-and- the-olympic-games-tokyo-2020 .
The BTF would like to thank the host nations, the organising committees and all the participants involved for their support and tremendous efforts in dealing with this extraordinary situation.
Please do not hesitate to contact us at info@olympicboxing.sport
(Find here the IOC Boxing Task Force Statement on the matter, in PDF format)
London’s LOC Statement on Boxing Road to Tokyo Qualifier
15/03/2020
Please find the original statement of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) of the Boxing Road to Tokio European qualifier in London (GBR) here (click to open). The staement reads:
Due to the changing situation with Coronavirus and concerns for public, athlete and volunteer welfare the IOC Boxing Task Force (BTF) has taken the decision that from Monday 16 March 2020 the Boxing Road to Tokyo Olympic qualifying event at the Copper Box Arena on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will take place behind closed doors. This unfortunately means that no spectators will be permitted to attend the event.
The decision comes into force with immediate effect and covers both the 12:00 and 18:00 sessions that are due to take place on Monday 16 March 2020 and all other sessions up until the end of the tournament.
The Local Organising Committee of the Boxing Road to Tokyo event understands the reasons for the decision and apologises to ticket holders for any inconvenience this may cause.
Any customers that also took out an insurance policy with TicketPlan when they purchased their tickets should contact the company direct via the TicketPlan website. The Boxing Road to Tokyo Olympic qualifier will continue to be streamed live on the Olympic Channel and can be viewed at https://oly.ch/2vqhjng
Boxing Road to Tokyo Americas qualifying event in Buenos Aires suspended
11/03/2020
The IOC Boxing Task Force (BTF) regrets to inform that due to the Coronavirus outbreak and recent measures taken by the Argentinian government, the Boxing Road to Tokyo Americas qualifying event scheduled to take place in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 26 March to 3 April has been suspended.
The Local Organizing Committee (LOC) informed the BTF earlier today that the government of Argentina has taken the decision to restrict all types of international events in the country with immediate effect as a precautionary measure to COVID-19.
The BTF understands and respects the decision taken by the public authorities of Argentina during this difficult time worldwide. We are searching for the appropriate solution for this unexpected situation and will immediately inform the National Olympic Committees, National Federations and other impacted parties as soon as further information is available.
We apologize for this unexpected occurrence and understand the inconvenience for all stakeholders, especially for our athletes and delegations. We assure you that the BTF is doing its utmost to find the best solution.
Please, do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions at buenosaires.qualifier@olympicboxing.sport
Final day of African Olympic Boxing Qualifier in Dakar wraps up quota places for a total of 14 nations
01/03/2020 
The African Boxing Road to Tokyo came to an end on the ninth day of the qualification event in the Senegalese capital of Dakar. At its conclusion, 14 nations had shared 33 quota places for this summer’s Games in Tokyo; 22 men across eight weight categories and 11 women across five categories.
First in the ring was the box-off in the Women’s Fly, where Kenya’s Christine ONGARE powered to a 5-0 victory against Uganda’s Catherine NANZIRI to win a bronze medal and her ticket to Tokyo. Another box-off took place in the Men’s Feather, where Samuel TAKYI became the second boxer to qualify from Ghana after Sulemanu T’s victory the previous day. Another Ghanaian – Jessie LARTEY – was unable to make it three quota places for the country though; he was beaten by Uganda’s Shadiri BWOGI in the Men’s Welter box-off. The fourth and final box-off took place in the Men’s Light Heavy, where Moroccan Mohamed ASSAGHIR won his bout against yet another Ghanaian, Shakul SAMED.
There were six finals with gold medals up for grabs in the afternoon session. Rabab CHEDDAR and Khadija MARDI (Morocco) and Imane KHELIF (Algeria) all won their final bouts by a 5-0 scoreline. In the Men’s Featherweight, Zambia’s Everisto MULENGA won 4-1 against Kenya’s Nicholas OKOTH, while in the Welter, another Zambian, Stephen ZIMBA, lost by the same score against Cameroon’s Albert MENGUE. Egyptian Abdelrahman ORABI won a gold medal thanks to a walkover decision against Algeria’s Mohammed HOUMRI.
And that marks the end of the action in Africa, with the boxers now able to reflect on their victories and start preparing for Tokyo. The Boxing Road to Tokyo doesn’t stop here though; we go straight to the historical and culturally rich capital of Amman in Jordan, where the Asia & Oceania Olympic Boxing Qualifiers begin on Tuesday 3 March.
You can find all the other results from the final day here
News, photos and results will be posted online on the Athlete365 Boxing Corner platform at boxing.athlete365.org, while fans can join the conversation online using the hashtag #Boxing.
African Boxing Qualifier closes in Dakar: 33 athletes qualified for Tokyo 2020
29/02/2020
The first Boxing Road to Rio qualification event came to an end in Dakar, Senegal, yesterday. A total of 198 athletes from 38 countries participated in the African continental qualifier held at the Dakar Arena in Diamniadio from 20 to 29 February, competing in 13 weight categories (eight men’s and five women’s events) for a total of 192 bouts, while aiming for the 33 Tokyo 2020 Olympic quota places up for grabs.
A total of 16 nations won medals in Dakar. Morocco finished atop the medals standings, with a total of eight medals, including four gold and four bronze medals. Algeria followed in second with eight medals (three gold, four silver, one bronze), while Cameroon closed the top three in third place with two gold and one bronze (you can find here the full medal standings from Dakar)
Fourteen nations gained at least one qualification spot for Tokyo 2020, with Algeria topping the quota places chart as it secured seven Olympic berths. You can find here the full list of quota places allocated in Dakar.
Ensuring global coverage of the event, the African Qualifier was live streamed to audiences worldwide via the Olympic Channel.
Athletes and teams shared their enthusiasm on the finals day. The winner of the Women’s Featherweight event, Tunisia’s Khouloud Hlimi Ep Moulahi, said: “Everything has been fantastic here in Dakar. This is probably the best event in which I have ever participated.”
The competition was run according to a revised set of rules, amended by the IOC Boxing Task Force with the support of Athletes Ambassadors and boxing experts. Furthermore, a new selection process for referees and judges was implemented in the lead-up to the Boxing Road to Tokyo Series. All officials were reviewed to ensure they meet the selection criteria, and were randomly selected through a transparent and independently audited procedure. referees and judges also took part in a specific educational program, and their performances were continuously monitored throughout the competition, to help them improve the quality of their decisions.
Algeria’s Mohamed Flissi, winner of the Men’s Fly category, said: “The IOC Boxing Task Force organised everything in a perfect way: the game was clean, and judging has been the best ever.”
Men’s Middleweight bronze medallist Dieudonne Seyi Ntsengue (CMR), added: “Everything was just perfect! The organisation worked really well, and refereeing has been fair. Really fair.”
The Boxing Road to Tokyo now goes on: the Asian/Oceanian qualifying event is about to start in Amman, Jordan, where action is due to begin on 3 March. The competition, held at the Prince Hamza Hall, will run until 11 March, and will see 221 athletes (151 men and 70 women) from 35 countries competing for 63 Olympic quota places.
Follow the action live
Fans can watch the action live on the Olympic Channel including all women’s and men’s bouts across all weight categories with commentary in English, Russian and Hindi beginning on 3 March at 11:00 EET (local time). Coverage will be available in all territories worldwide for free at olympicchannel.com and its apps for mobile and connected TV devices.
News, photos and results will be posted online on the dedicated Amman Qualifier page of the Athlete365 Boxing Corner platform. We encourage fans to join the conversation online using the hashtag #Boxing.
Event schedules
The session schedules for each continental qualifier can be found here.
Day 8: Three more quota places awarded and the first finals and medal ceremonies take place at the Dakar Arena
28/02/2020 
We’re approaching the final phases of this first Boxing Olympic Qualifier, as all of today’s action took place in one ring and in a single afternoon session. African athletes competed in the Women’s Feather (54 – 57kg) and Welter (64 – 69kg), and the Men’s Fly (48 – 52kg), Light (57 – 63kg), Middle (69 – 75kg), Heavy (81 – 91kg) and Super Heavy (+91kg), facing their last bouts before the all-important preparations for Tokyo.
After yesterday’s rest day, the first boxers to get back in the ring were Featherweight (54 – 57kg) number one and two seeds, Sadie KENOSI (BOT) and Khouloud MOULAHI (TUN). Kenosi was the first boxer to win a quota place in these qualifiers two days ago, but today it was Moulahi who prevailed and consequently won the day’s first gold medal. Another encounter between the top two seeds came in the Women’s Welter, where Morocco’s Oumayma BEL AHBIB struck gold by defeating Mozambique’s Helena PANGUANA.
Two Algerians won gold today: Mohamed FLISSI (Men’s Fly), who beat Zambia’s Patrick CHINYEMBA 3:2, and Younes NEMOUCHI (Men’s Middle), who scored an easier 4-1 victory over DR Congo’s David TSHAMA. Namibia’s Lightweight boxer, Jonas JONAS won gold with the same score against Mauritius’s 2011 All-Africa champion, Richarno COLIN. Maxime YEGNONG (CMR) was the victor in his Super Heavy bout; and Youness BAALLA of Morocco also won gold today, thanks to a walkover.
Today’s programme also included three box-offs for the Men’s Fly, Men’s Light and Men’s Middle to confirm the bronze medallists, but even more importantly, to award the day’s three quota places for Tokyo 2020.
Ghana’s Sulemanu TETTEH was one of the three quota place winners. When Ghana competed at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, its only medal at the Games was a bronze and was won by a boxer – Eddie Blay. Tetteh will now be dreaming of equalling or bettering Blay’s success when the Games return to the Japanese capital this summer.
Morocco won its fifth quota place from these qualifiers as Abdelhaq NADIR claimed a 4-1 victory over DR Congo’s Fiston MBAYA in the Men’s Light, while the Cameroonian, Wilfried NTSENGUE, won a bronze medal and his ticket to Tokyo by defeating Uganda’s Kavuma SSEMUJJU 3-2.
Tomorrow will be the final chance for African boxers to qualify for Tokyo, with four quota places up for grabs. Bouts in the Women’s Fly, Men’s Feather, Men’s Welter and Men’s Light Heavy will all take place.
You can find all the other results from day 8 here
Follow the event live
The event will be broadcast live on the Olympic Channel. In addition to live streaming with commentary in English and French, highlights and news, the Olympic Channel will present a live studio show prior to the quarter-final, semi-final and final matches of each event.
News, photos and results will be posted online on the Athlete365 Boxing Corner platform at boxing.athlete365.org, while fans can join the conversation online using the hashtag #Boxing.
Event schedule
The session schedules for each of the events can be found here.
The first quota places from the Boxing Road to Tokyo African Olympic Qualifiers are allotted on an emotional day 7 in Dakar
26/02/2020 
It was the biggest day so far at the Dakar Arena for the African Olympic Qualifiers, as 26 athletes won their quota places to compete in the Japanese capital this summer at the Games of the 32nd Olympiad.
The first boxer to receive her ticket for Tokyo was the number-one seed in the Women’s Feather, 23-year-old Sadie KENOSI from Botswana. Her victory over Morocco’s Widad BERTAL also means that she is the first boxer ever to qualify in this weight class, as the Women’s 54–57kg is a new category in the Olympic programme. This summer, it will also be the first medal to be awarded in Tokyo for boxing.
Shortly after, in Ring B, two-time African Games medallist Khouloud MOULAHI (TUN) looked ecstatic at booking her place in Tokyo after defeating DR Congo’s 2017 African champion Marcelat SEKOBI MATSHU.
Morocco had a brilliant day at the semi-finals, with four athletes qualifying for Tokyo. In the Women’s Welter, Oumayma BEL AHBIB sealed her place at what will be her first Olympic Games; and in the Women’s Middle, the outstanding Khadija MARDI won her North African derby against Algeria’s Ichrak CHAIB. In the Men’s Heavy, Youness BAALLA scored a 4-1 win over Kenyan Ajowi ELLY, while Rabab CHEDDAR emerged victorious in her Women’s Fly evening session over another Kenyan, Christine ONGARE.
Staying in the Maghreb region of North Africa, Algeria won a sensational seven quota places today. Mohamed FLISSI confirmed his ticket to his third consecutive Olympic Games and will hope to go even better than the quarter-finals, where he finished at Rio 2016. One ahead of Flissi, Tokyo will be the fourth Games for the vastly experienced Abdelhafid BENCHABLA. He has reached the quarter-finals at the last three Olympics, but will compete in the Heavyweight category for the first time this summer.
Younes NEMOUCHI will debut at the Games after 10 years in boxing, and will be joined by 33-year-old Chouaib BOULOUDINATS, African Games bronze medallist Mohammed HOUMRI, Women’s Light boxer Imane KHELIF and the current Women’s Fly African Games champion, Roumaysa BOUALAM.
Mozambique will have at least two representatives in Tokyo: Helena PANGUANA in the Women’s Welter and Adosinda RADY in the Women’s Middle. This is a superb achievement for the south-eastern African country, which has taken fewer than 10 athletes to every Olympic Games since Los Angeles 1984. Incidentally, it was at those Olympics in California where Zambia won its only medal in boxing to date – namely, a bronze for Keith MWILA. The south-central African country won three quota places today courtesy of Stephen ZIMBA in the Men’s Welter, Everisto MULENGA in the Men’s Feather and 19-year-old Patrick CHINYEMBA in the Men’s Fly.
Thanks to victories for Albert MENGUE (Men’s Welter) and Maxime NJIEYO (Men’s Super Heavy), Cameroon won two tickets to Tokyo, while Egypt will be represented in boxing by Abdelrahman ABDELGAWWAD, who won his Light Heavy bout against the Ghanaian, Shakul SAMED.
Namibia’s Jonas JONAS triumphed in the Men’s Light today after upsetting the odds against top-seeded Moroccan Abdelhaq NADIR. David TSHAMA won his Men’s Middle fight, and will be hoping to create history this summer by winning DR Congo’s first-ever Olympic medal – in any sport. Someone who did achieve that for their country was Bruno JULIE of Mauritius – a boxer, no less. He won bronze in the Bantamweight in Beijing in 2008. Today, Richarno LOUIS won his quota place in the Men’s Light and now dreams of bringing Olympic success back to the tiny island this summer.
Tomorrow will be a rest day for all the athletes, but the action will continue on Friday 28 February, with box-offs in the Men’s Fly (52kg), Light (63kg) and Middle (75kg); finals for the Men’s Fly (52kg), Light (63kg), Middle (75kg), Heavy (91kg) and Super Heavy (+91kg); and finals for the Women’s Feather (57kg) and Welter (69kg). More quota places will of course be up for grabs.
You can find all the other results from day 7 here
Follow the event live
The event will be broadcast live on the Olympic Channel. In addition to live streaming with commentary in English and French, highlights and news, the Olympic Channel will present a live studio show prior to the quarter-final, semi-final and final matches of each event.
News, photos and results will be posted online on the Athlete365 Boxing Corner platform at boxing.athlete365.org, while fans can join the conversation online using the hashtag #Boxing.
Event schedule
The session schedules for each of the events can be found here.
80 boxers across 40 bouts: an incredible Day 6 at the Dakar Arena for a place in the Boxing Olympic Qualifiers semi-finals
25/02/2020 
It was an intense and packed day at the Dakar Arena, with 80 athletes competing for semi-final spots – all with the goal of securing those dream quota places for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
The Women’s Fly boxers were the first to jump into the ring; and it was no surprise that the number-one seed and current African champion, Roumaysa BOUALAM (ALG), eased into the semi-finals with a 5-0 defeat of Lethabo MODUKANELE (BOT).
It was a heart-breaking loss for the home girl Khadidja TIMERA – growing up in Paris but fighting for Senegal, she told the Olympic Channel recently that it was her dream to win gold for her country in Tokyo. That dream came to an end after she lost 3-2 in a split decision to the Ugandan, Catherine NANZIRI. But perhaps Timera can set her sights instead on 2024 and win an Olympic medal in the city where she grew up. What a story that would be. In Ring B, Kenya’s Christine ONGARE went through to the semis after beating DR Congo’s Modestine ZALIA.
In the Men’s Light category, it was another win for Commonwealth Games silver medallist Jonas of Namibia, who defeated the Ghanaian, Abdul Wahid OMAR. In the Men’s Fly, another Namibian, Thomas Nestor MEKONDJ, did not enjoy the same success as Jonas – he was well beaten by the three-time All-Africa Games medallist, Mohamed FLISSI – with the Algerian firmly on course to compete in his third consecutive Olympic Games.
It was a tough encounter for Ezzerrifi ANAS (MAR) who lost to the number-one seed in the Men’s Middle category, Kavuma David SSEMUJJU (UGA). In the same weight category, 2015 African champion Wilfred NTSENGUE (CMR) beat Raul MANGUE (GEQ) 5-0, meaning the Cameroonian still has a fighting chance of competing in his second Olympic Games at the age of just 22.
Algeria’s Younes NEMOUCHI won an incredible Men’s Middle bout against Jean Luc ROSALBA of Mauritius, the North African winning the fight in round three with an RSC (Referee Stops Contest) decision. There was yet more success for Algeria in the evening session and a big surprise too, as Women’s Light boxer Imane KHELIF earned her spot in the semis by beating the number-one seed, Aratwa KASEMANG (BOT).
In the Men’s Heavy, it was another Algerian superstar –Abdelhafid BENCHABLA – who prevailed in what was his first fight of the qualifiers, at the expense of Ibrahima Sory BARRY (GUI). The 33-year-old is the current All-Africa champion, and if he qualifies in Dakar in the next week, Tokyo will be his fourth Olympic Games. A much younger fighter but also with Olympic boxing experience – namely a bronze medal from the Youth Olympic Games in 2018 – Youssef Ali MOUSSA (EGY) showed the crowd no mercy in defeating Karamba KEBE in his home country.
Tomorrow will see nine categories in the ring. As well as Women’s Fly (51kg), the men will compete in Fly (52kg), Light (63kg), Middle (75kg), Heavy (91kg), Feather (57kg), Welter (69kg), Light Heavy (81kg) and Super Heavy (+91kg). The excitement is growing as we edge closer to the semi-finals and the possibility to win those coveted quota places for Tokyo 2020.
You can find all the other results from day 6 here.
Follow the event live
The event will be broadcast live on the Olympic Channel. In addition to live streaming with commentary in English and French, highlights and news, the Olympic Channel will present a live studio show prior to the quarter-final, semi-final and final matches of each event.
News, photos and results will be posted online on the Athlete365 Boxing Corner platform at boxing.athlete365.org, while fans can join the conversation online using the hashtag #Boxing.
Event schedule
The session schedules for each of the events can be found here.
DAY 5: The first quarter-finals in the Boxing Road to Tokyo Olympic Qualifiers have begun in the Senegalese capital
24/02/2020 
The women’s quarter-finals kicked off today at the 15,000-seater Dakar Arena. Every bout from here on in is bound to be highly contested, as the Olympic places get closer.
Women’s Feather
The first seed, Keamogetse Sadie KENOSI of Botswana, won 5-0 on points in a powerful bout against her Algerian rival, Fatima SENOUCI, who cleared her first round but just didn’t have enough strength today.
One of the unmissable bouts of the day featured the 2019 All-Africa Games winner, Khouloud Hlimi Ep MOULAHI (TUN), who was too strong for Ramla ALI (SOM) – a London-based boxer and model managed by British heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. The Tunisian came out on top with a 4-1 win.
There was a surprising loss in the afternoon for Camara Marine FATOUMATA (MLI) – seeded number 3 in this category, as the 2019 African silver medallist couldn’t find a way past Marcelat MATSHU (COD).
Women’s Welter
The number 1-seeded welterweight, Oumayma BEL AHBIB (MAR), was far too good for Bernadette KEUYE (CMR), running out with a comfortable points victory, while Helena Panguana ACINDA of Mozambique made light work of her Ivorian opponent, Sedja SANOGO, in a 5-0 win.
Emily Tinah NAKALEMA (TUN) – competing for her country for the first time – didn’t make the dream debut she’d hoped for, losing out to a solid performance by number 3-seeded, Ivanusa Gomes MOREIRA (CPV).
Women’s Middle
One of the most prominent female African boxers, Khadija EL-MARDI (MAR), who won the bronze medal at the 2019 Women’s World Boxing Championships in Russia, will proceed to the semi-finals after besting her opponent, Clotilde ESSIANE (CMR), in Ring A in the afternoon. At the same time over in Ring B, the number 2 seed, Rady Adosinda GRAMANE (MOZ), beat Elizabeth ANDIEGO (KEN) via an RSC (Referee Stops the Contest) decision in round 2.
Preliminaries Continue for the Men
In the Men’s Featherweight, the number 1 seed – 26 year-old Olympian Mohamed HAMOUT of Morocco, defeated Nathan Lunata NKOSI of DR Congo with an easy 5-0 win. The professional boxer and African Games bronze medallist, Pedro Manuel GOMES (ANG), scored a points victory in a brilliant fight against the number 3 seed, Oussama MORDJANE (ALG), in what was the 99th bout of the qualifiers and the first fight of the evening session.
The 100th bout also took place in Ring B in the evening, and went in favour of the Kenyan, Nicholas Okongo AKOTH, who defeated the Egyptian, Mostafa Mohamed KOSMAN, with a 4-1 victory.
As the action hots up, everybody around the Dakar Arena is getting ready for tomorrow’s quarter-finals, which will see events in no fewer than eight weight categories: the Women’s Fly will take place alongside seven in the Men’s – the Fly, Light, Middle, Feather, Heavy, Light Heavy and Super Heavy.
You can find all the other results from day 5 here.
Follow the event live
The event will be broadcast live on the Olympic Channel. In addition to live streaming with commentary in English and French, highlights and news, the Olympic Channel will present a live studio show prior to the quarter-final, semi-final and final matches of each event.
News, photos and results will be posted online on the Athlete365 Boxing Corner platform at boxing.athlete365.org, while fans can join the conversation online using the hashtag #Boxing.
Event schedule
The session schedules for each of the events can be found here.
Highlights from Day 4 of the Boxing Road to Tokyo African Olympic Qualifiers
23/02/2020 
The fourth day of the African Boxing Olympic Qualifiers was the busiest so far, with 26 nations represented across five weight categories, in 31 scheduled bouts. The action began at 2 p.m. on Ring A with the Women’s Fly (48 – 51 kg), where Lethabo Bokamoso MODUKANELE (BOT) beat Amel CHEBBI (TUN) 5-0. After that, it was another win for Botswana by the same score, as the 2019 All-Africa Games winner, Rajab Otukile MAHOMMED, defeated the Moroccan, Said MORTAJI.
In the 47th bout of the African Qualifiers, Juliano Fernando Gento MAQUINA (MOZ) beat his opponent Bilel BOUGHANMI (TUN) in the Men’s Fly; and the last fight of the afternoon in that category saw All-Africa Games bronze medalist Dawit Bekele WIBSHET (ETH) triumph over Mick Mikamou MAYELET (GAB).
In the evening session for Men’s Flyweight, there was one other result to catch up on, as Algerian Mohamed FLISSI scored a points victory in a competitive encounter against Doudou Ilunga KABANGE of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the same category, the bout between the third seeded Kenyan Hassan Shaffi BAKARI and Sulemanu TETTEH saw the latter proceed to the next round after a 3-2 split decision.
There was a unanimous decision in favour of the Moroccan, Abdelhaq NADIR – the number one seed in the Men’s Light category – as he beat Yasin ADNAN of Uganda.
In Ring B at the Dakar Arena, there was a brilliant afternoon performance from one of Africa’s best boxers – Jonas of Namibia, who won a Commonwealth silver medal in Glasgow in 2014 when he was just 20 – who showed his talents again today by beating the Tanzanian, Alex Michael ISENDI.
In the Men’s Middleweight category, Kavuma David SSEMUJJU (UGA) won 5-0 on points against one of Kenya’s best boxers – Rayton Nduku OKWIRI – a hugely experienced athlete who had made a return from the professional world. Ezzerrifi Amrani ANAS (MAR) made light work of his opponent, Temesgen Mitiku NEKA (ETH), bringing the fight to a halt in round two via an RSC (Referee Stops the Contest) decision.
In other news, Gambian boxer Foday Bangura BADJIE was disqualified in the morning as he was deemed overweight for his Men’s Middle fight (69 – 75 kg), so Jean Luc David ROSALBA of Mauritius was awarded a walkover and an easy path in to the next round.
Tomorrow is going to be an even more exciting day, with the first round of quarter-finals for Women’s Feather, Women’s Welter and Women’s Middle. The men’s preliminaries will also continue in three weight categories: Light Heavy, Welter and Feather.
You can find all the other results from day 4 here.
Follow the event live
The event will be broadcast live on the Olympic Channel. In addition to live streaming with commentary in English and French, highlights and news, the Olympic Channel will present a live studio show prior to the quarter-final, semi-final and final matches of each event.
News, photos and results will be posted online on the Athlete365 Boxing Corner platform at boxing.athlete365.org, while fans can join the conversation online using the hashtag #Boxing.
Event schedule
The session schedules for each of the events can be found here.
DAY 3 – 21 bouts today for a place in the next round at the African Boxing Olympic Qualifiers
22/02/2020 
It was an exciting and busy day at the Dakar Arena where male boxers from 22 nations faced each other in a total of 21 bouts across afternoon and evening sessions.
The opening fight on Ring B for the Men’s Featherweight was also the fastest: Musa CHAM of Gambia beat the Cameroonian, Ignas Aristide Ronaldo TCHOUTA MBIANDA in just 52 seconds; Mbianda reporting an unintentional but bad wound on his cheekbone. On the other ring in the same weight category, Nathan LUNATA NKOSI of DR Congo scored an easy win against Swaziland’s 21 year old, Zweli DLAMINI.
Later in the evening, Moroke MOKHOTHO (LES) benefited from a split decision with a 3:2 victory in the blue corner against the Tunisian, Bilel MHAMDI. And the last fight in the Featherweight category ended 5:0 in favour of the Angolan Pedro Manuel GOMES who powered past his Tanzanian rival, Mlingwa Boniphace KAJI.
Men’s Welterweight Bouts
Tswiige MMUSI (BOT) didn’t have a lot of difficulty defeating Yannick MITOUMBA MBEMY from Gabon with a clean 5:0 victory. Zambia’s Stephen ZIMBA (ZAM) also proceeded to the next round by the same winning margin against Munjanye SNOWDEN (MWI).
Ring B saw a tussle between two North African nations but it was the Egyptian Omar Elsayed Ragab ELAWADY ELA who prevailed over the Tunisian Ahmed MEJRI. In the blue corner, Freeman MABVONGWE (ZIM) produced a winning performance against Nestor NDUWARUGIRA (BDI).
During the day’s second session on the same ring, the young Angolan Nafital Alfonso GOMA showed great resolve; despite being knocked down by Libya’s Dawku Asim Salih AMHIMMID, Goma won the bout in round 2 via an RSC decision with a knockdown of his own.
Other results from the evening session:
Thabiso DLAMINI (SWZ) vs Tounkara MADALA (MLI) 5:0
Mesfin BIRU KERALAH (ETH) vs Bassole Brice ROMARIC (BUR) 5:0
Jessie LARTEY (GHA) vs Mohamed ABOUBACAR (COM) 5:0
Men’s Heavyweight Debut
A split decision of 3:2 decided the first Heavyweight bout in favour of Barry IBRAHIMA SORY (GUI) over his opponent David Bawah AKANKOLIM. (GHA). It was an RSC loss in round 1 for Sanyang Sandy SAM of Gambia against his victor, Sadiki MAROY MAROY of DR Congo.
The third and final bout of the day for this category saw the former Swedish National Champion Alex BWAMBALE, now of Uganda, triumph over Angolan Luvumbo Kiala JUNIOR.
Men’s Super Heavy Battle
In the Super Heavy category, Agnes Keddy EVANS (SEY) didn’t get a look in against Dos Santos Morais DAVILSON (CPV) who emerged victorious with a 5:0 win and it was the same score in Ring A for Yegnong NJIEYO (CMR) over Solomon Geko KOZAALA (UGA).
To close the day, 23 year old Ghanaian boxer Anani KUTSUKE went through to the next round beating the two-time Commonwealth Games competitor, Haruna Swanga MHANDO – an athlete ten years his senior.
Two more sessions are scheduled today at the Dakar Arena at the same times of 2pm and 6pm UTC. Both genders will be in the rings as we’ll see bouts in the Women’s Fly, Women’s Light, Men’s Fly, Men’s Light and Men’s Middle categories.
Follow the event live
The event will be broadcast live on the Olympic Channel. In addition to live streaming with commentary in English and French, highlights and news, the Olympic Channel will present a live studio show prior to the quarter-final, semi-final and final matches of each event.
News, photos and results will be posted online on the Athlete365 Boxing Corner platform at boxing.athlete365.org, while fans can join the conversation online using the hashtag #Boxing.
Event schedule
The session schedules for each of the events can be found here.
DAY 2 – Preliminaries continue in Dakar for the Boxing Road to Tokyo African Qualifier
21/02/2020 
The Boxing Road to Tokyo African Qualifier, currently being held in Dakar, Senegal, continued today with the Preliminaries for Women’s Featherweight (54 – 57kg) and Men’s Lightweight (57 – 63kg).
On Ring A, the first fight was between two first-timers and it was a quick victory for Fatima Zahra SENOUCI (ALG) who defeated Madagascar’s Marie Madele RASOARINORO EP RALISON in round 2, via an RSC (Referee Stops the Contest).
On Ring B, Beatrice Akoth OUMA (KEN) prevailed over her opponent Ramla Said Ahmed ALI (SOM) with a 5:0 victory. Not long after, Marcelat SAKOBI MATSHU (COD) beat Suzan AKELLO from Uganda by the same points margin to close the Women’s Featherweight fights for the day.
The day’s first triumph in the Men’s Lightweight came in Ring B and went to the Tanzanian boxer Alex Michael ISENDI who beat Almnsori Mahamed Hafith FARHAT from Libya winning 5:0. It was the same result for Guinea’s Diallo Ibrahima BEA JR, who was victorious over Diosdado BODDIEN EVITA, representing the small Central African country of Equatorial Guinea.
Back on Ring A, it was an easy victory for Uganda’s Yasin ADNAN over Abrham ALEM GEBREMARIAM from Ethiopia; Adnan winning in Round 2 with another RSC decision. After them, the crowd witnessed three more 5:0 wins: Clinton Farlo NDJINGA (GAB) bested his opponent, Sabry GAMAL KAMEL MERDASH (EGY), Qhobosheane MOHLEREPE (LES) triumphed against Jorgito CA (GBS) in the blue corner and to conclude, Omar ABDUL WAHIB from Ghana prevailed over the Kenyan, Joseph SHIGALI.
And on Ring B, the last two fights of the day saw the 36 year old Senegalese Matar SAMBOU surrender to the power of Algerian boxer, Abdelli YAHIA, while the youthful Ben Haj Aouina AKREM (TUN) defeated Steve MINKO NSA’AMANG in the red corner with a 5:0 win.
The African Olympic Qualifying Event sees 198 athletes from 38 countries competing in 13 weight categories, with 33 Olympic Quota Places up for grabs. Tomorrow, Day 3 will start off with the Preliminaries for Men’s Feather (52 – 57kg), Men’s Welter (63 – 69kg), Men’s Heavy (81 – 91kg) and Men’s Super-Heavy (+91kg).
Follow the event live
The event will be broadcast live on the Olympic Channel. In addition to live streaming with commentary in English and French, highlights and news, the Olympic Channel will present a live studio show prior to the quarter-final, semi-final and final matches of each event.
News, photos and results will be posted online on the Athlete365 Boxing Corner platform at boxing.athlete365.org, while fans can join the conversation online using the hashtag #Boxing.
Event schedule
The session schedules for each of the events can be found here.
DAY 1 for African Boxing Qualifier – Road to Tokyo 2020
20/02/2020 
African Boxing Road to Tokyo first bouts took place in Dakar Arena, Dakar, Senegal.
Women’s boxing went first with the Welterweight preliminaries, which saw Bernadette Keuye (CMR) defeating Jorbelle Malewu Tekasala (COD) 4-0, and in the other ring Sedja Sanogo (CIV) winning against Algeria’s Sarra Kali 3-2.
For the Men’s Fly, there were three 5-0 wins, with the Moroccan, Said Mortaji, beating Muayid Abdulhakim Okashah (LBA), while Zambia’s Patrick Chinyemba defeated Disan Mubiru from Uganda, and Doudou Ilunga Kabange (COD) beat Marco Jerome Andrianarivelo (MAD).
In the same weight category, we also saw two RCS (Referee Stop Contest) victories in R3 for Mick Mikamou Mayelet (GAB) against Tlholohelo Mokhesi (LES), and Tetteh Sulemanu (GHA) against the Egyptian, Mohamed Mostafa Galal Morsy.
The last weight category of the day was the Men’s Middle, which saw a 5-0 triumph in ring B for Abubakari Kwasi Quartey (GHA) against Adan Ahmed Mohamed from Somalia, and David Tshama Mwenekabwe (COD) against Mohamed Diaby (MLI). In ring A, Rayton Nduku Okwiri from Kenya outclassed Emhemed Salem Elmagasbi from Lebanon, winning 5-0. The very last bout of the day saw the hometown favourite, Pape Mamadou Ndiaye (SEN), defeated by the power of Daniel Eduardo Zola (ANG).
Scheduled for tomorrow another round of preliminaries will see the Dakar Arena’s rings hosting two more weight categories: Women’s Feather (54-57kg) and Men’s Light (57-63kg).
Follow the action live
The event will be broadcast live on the Olympic Channel. In addition to live streaming with commentary in English and French, highlights and news, the Olympic Channel will present a live studio show prior to the quarter-final, semi-final and final matches of each event.
News, photos and results will be posted online on the Athlete365 Boxing Corner platform at boxing.athlete365.org, while fans can join the conversation online using the hashtag #Boxing.
Event schedule
The session schedules for each continental qualifier can be found here.
African Olympic Boxing Qualifying Event kicks off in Dakar (SEN)
19/02/2020 
The Boxing Road to Tokyo is in the starting blocks: the African Olympic Boxing Qualifying Event will officially start tomorrow, 20 February, at the Dakar Arena, in the outskirts of Senegal’s capital city.
This is going to be the first of the five Tokyo 2020 boxing qualifiers. Three additional continental Qualifying Events will follow in Amman, Jordan (Asian/Oceanian qualifier, 3-11 March), London, Great Britain (European qualifier, 14-24 March) and Buenos Aires, Argentina (Americas qualifier, 26 March to 3 April). A fifth and last competition, the Final World Qualifying Event, will be held in Paris, France, from 13 to 20 May. There will be 278 Olympic quota places up for grabs at the qualifiers, and an additional 8 quota places will be assigned by the Tripartite Commission to qualify a total of 286 boxers for Tokyo 2020.
Ready, steady, go
Athletes have arrived in Dakar from 39 nations, with a total of 221 boxers ready to compete in 13 events (8 men’s events, 5 women’s events). Their goal: to secure one of the 33 Olympic quota places to be awarded during the African qualifier, which will run from tomorrow through to 29 February.
| Men’s events | Quota Places | Women’s events | Quota Places |
| Fly (48kg to 52kg) | 3 | Fly (48kg to 51kg) | 3 |
| Feather (52kg to 57kg) | 3 | Feather (54kg to 57kg) | 2 |
| Light (57kg to 63kg) | 3 | Light (57kg to 60kg) | 2 |
| Welter (63kg to 69kg) | 3 | Welter (64kg to 69kg) | 2 |
| Middle (69kg to 75kg) | 3 | Middle (69kg to 75kg) | 2 |
| Light Heavy (75kg to 81kg) | 3 | ||
| Heavy (81kg to 91kg) | 2 | ||
| Super Heavy (+91kg) | 2 | ||
| TOTAL | 22 | 11 |
Athletes to watch
Only the best are here, looking for a spot at the next Games, and the list of athletes to watch is a long one.
In the men’s category, one of the biggest boxing stars of the African continent is without a doubt Algeria’s Mohamed Flissi, who claimed silver at the 2013 World Boxing Championship in Almaty as well as a bronze medal at the 2015 Worlds in Doha. The two-time Olympian lost his semi-final bout at the 2019 All Africa Games, but he is ready to claim back his throne in the men’s flyweight in Dakar. On his way, he will meet Botswana’s best boxer, the 2019 All Africa Games winner, Rajab Otukile Mahommed, a 22-year-old athlete who has already proved his skills on multiple occasions.
In the women’s events, we should not forget to mention those medallists from the last African Games who are likely to do well at the Dakar Arena. Bolanle Shogbamu won Nigeria’s first gold last August, competing in the welterweight category, and is looking forward to shining at the African qualifier. On the start list, we also find the young Keamogetse Kenosi from Botswana, who has already secured three African Games medals in her career in the featherweight category, as well as Tunisia’s Khouloud Hilmi Ep Moulahi, an African Games gold medallist in the lightweight category. Athlete Ambassador Khadija Mardi, Morocco’s Rio 2016 Olympian, returned to the sport after a short break and claimed an important bronze medal at the 2019 Women’s World Boxing Championships in Ulan-Ude. She arrives in Dakar aiming for gold in the women’s middleweight category.
Action is set to start tomorrow, 20 February, at the Dakar Arena.
Follow the event live
The event will be broadcast live on the Olympic Channel. In addition to live streaming with commentary in English and French, highlights and news, the Olympic Channel will present a live studio show prior to the quarter-final, semi-final and final matches of each event.
News, photos and results will be posted online on the Athlete365 Boxing Corner platform at boxing.athlete365.org, while fans can join the conversation online using the hashtag #Boxing.
Event schedule
The session schedules for each of the events can be found here.
Boxing legend Klitschko announced as “IOC Boxing Task Force Champion”
19/02/2020 
Atlanta 1996 Olympic champion Wladimir Klitschko (UKR) has been announced today as the IOC Boxing Task Force (BTF) Champion.
The super-heavyweight legend will join the BTF along with the 10 Athlete Ambassadors, who were nominated earlier this year in an effort to promote the athletes’ voice by engaging with the athletes face-to-face at the competition venues as well as through digital channels on issues that are most prevalent within the boxing community.
Klitschko will be engaging with athletes and fans at selected Boxing Road to Tokyo qualifying events, and across digital channels, helping the BTF to spread the values of boxing and fair play.
Klitschko said: “I had the chance of taking part in the Olympic Games in 1996. That participation was the origin of my further career – and in some way made me the person I am today. Now I want to give back what I received and support the initiative for boxers to keep getting the same chances I had and be part of the next Olympic Games.”
The BTF was created by the IOC Executive Board (EB) in June 2019. This followed a decision by the IOC Session to keep boxing on the sports programme for Tokyo 2020, but to suspend IOC recognition of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) due to concerns over finance, governance, ethics and refereeing and judging.
The IOC EB gave the Boxing Task Force the mandate to organise and deliver the five qualification events for boxing and the Olympic boxing competition in Tokyo, and to develop a Tokyo 2020 qualification system for boxing. The overarching goal of the BTF is to minimise any disruption for the athletes and to create a clear, just and fair pathway for boxers to realise their dream of competing in the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
The Tokyo 2020 tournament will feature 286 boxers (186 men, 100 women) competing in 13 weight classes (eight for men, five for women). Olympic Quota Places will be awarded during the Boxing Road to Tokyo, which comprises four continental qualifiers to be held in Dakar, Senegal (20-29 February), Amman, Jordan (Asian/Oceanian qualifier, 3-11 March), London, Great Britain (European qualifier, 14-24 March) and Buenos Aires, Argentina (Americas qualifier, 26 March–3 April). A fifth and last competition, the Final World Qualifying Event, will be held in Paris, France, from 13 to 20 of May.
The qualifiers will be broadcast by the Olympic Channel, through multi-platform coverage that will include live streaming of all bouts across all weight categories from the first day of competition through to the finals for each event. Coverage will be available in all territories worldwide at olympicchannel.com and its apps for mobile and connected TV devices. Find additional information and updates on the events at https://boxing.athlete365.org
Follow the action at the Boxing Road to Tokyo Qualifying Events
12/02/2020 
The Boxing Road to Tokyo is about to kick off in Dakar (SEN), where the first of the five Boxing Qualifying Events for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will be held from 20 to 29 February. Three additional continental Qualifying Events will follow in Amman, Jordan (Asian/Oceanian qualifier, 3-11 March), London, Great Britain (European qualifier, 14-24 March) and Buenos Aires, Argentina (Americas qualifier, 26 March to 3 April). A fifth and last competition, the Final World Qualifying Event, will be held in Paris, France, from 13 to 20 May. There will be 278 Olympic quota places up for grabs at the qualifiers, and an additional 8 quota places will be assigned by the Tripartite Commission to qualify a total of 286 boxers for Tokyo 2020.
There are multiple ways to follow the action and join the conversation online:
Athlete365 / Boxing Corner
The main source of information for athletes and teams will be a dedicated page on the Athlete365 platform: Boxing Corner (boxing.athlete365.org), where stories and news, photo galleries and Olympic Channel videos will be posted, along with all relevant competition information such as the rules, schedules, draw-sheets and results.
The page will be updated daily during the competitions, and it will provide a unique chance to follow the series of events.
Olympic Channel
The Olympic Channel, the IOC’s global media platform, has announced coverage plans for the Boxing Road to Tokyo Series, as it will be the exclusive worldwide digital rights-holder for the five Qualifying Events. The Olympic Channel’s multi-platform coverage will include live streaming of all the women’s and men’s bouts across all weight categories from the first day of competition through to the finals for each event. Coverage will be available in all territories worldwide at olympicchannel.com and on its apps for mobile and connected TV devices. (No TV or cable subscription is required to watch online.)
In addition to live streaming with commentary in multiple languages, highlights and news, the Olympic Channel will present a live studio show prior to the quarter-final, semi-final and final matches of each event from its Madrid headquarters.
The Olympic Channel’s live streaming schedule is as follows:
20-29 February, Africa: Dakar (SEN). Commentary in English and French;
3-11 March, Asia/Oceania: Amman (JOR). Commentary in English, Hindi and Russian;
14-24 March, Europe: London (GBR). Commentary in English and Russian;
27 March-3 April, Americas: Buenos Aires (ARG). Commentary in English and Spanish;
13-20 May, Final World: Paris (FRA). Commentary in English and French.
Social Media
The Boxing Road to Tokyo will benefit from extensive social media coverage, through the Olympic Channel, the IOC, and the Athlete365 social media platforms. Fans will be able to be part of the action by using the hashtag #Boxing, while competing athletes and teams can join the conversation through the dedicated hashtag #InYourCorner.
Boxing Road to Tokyo: Overview
12/02/2020
The Boxing Road to Tokyo is about to debut in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, where the first of the five Boxing Qualifying Events for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – the African continental qualifier – will be held from 20 to 29 February.
The event is being organised by the IOC Boxing Task Force (BTF), in cooperation with Dakar’s Local Organising Committee (LOC) and the Senegalese National Olympic Committee.
The IOC Boxing Task Force
The BTF was created by the IOC Executive Board (EB) in June 2019. This followed a decision by the IOC EB and Session to keep boxing on the sports programme for Tokyo 2020, but to suspend IOC recognition of the International Boxing Association (AIBA). The IOC EB gave the Boxing Task Force the mandate to organise and deliver the five qualification events for boxing and the Olympic boxing competition in Tokyo, and to develop a Tokyo 2020 qualification system for boxing.
286 boxers will qualify for Tokyo 2020
The overarching goals of the BTF are to minimise any disruption for the athletes and to create a clear, just and fair pathway for boxers to realise their dream of competing at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. The Tokyo 2020 tournament will feature 286 boxers (186 men, 100 women) competing in 13 weight classes (eight for men, five for women). After the African Qualifying Event about to start in Dakar, three additional continental Qualifying Events will follow in Amman, Jordan (Asian / Oceanian qualifier, 3-11 March), London, Great Britain (European qualifier, 14-24 March) and Buenos Aires, Argentina (Americas qualifier, 26 March to 3 April). A fifth and last competition, the Final World Qualifying Event, will be held in Paris, France, from 13 to 20 May. There will be 278 Olympic quota places up for grabs at the qualifiers, and an additional 8 quota places will be assigned by the Tripartite Commission to qualify a total of 286 boxers for Tokyo 2020. A summary of the Qualification System for Tokyo 2020 can be found here.
The rules
In line with the mandate of delivering the Olympic Boxing Qualifying Events and the boxing tournament at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and considering the importance of focusing on the athletes, the IOC Boxing Task Force has complemented existing AIBA regulations with specific amendments to deliver its commitment to transparency while minimising the impact on boxers. The rules that will apply to the five qualification events and the Tokyo 2020 boxing tournament are published on Athlete 365.
How to follow
The main source of information will be a dedicated page on the Athlete 365 platform: the Boxing Corner (boxing.athlete365.org), where previews, reviews, photo galleries and Olympic Channel videos will be posted along with all relevant competition information such as the rules, schedules, draw-sheets and results.
The Olympic Channel, the IOC’s global media platform, has announced coverage plans for the whole Boxing Road to Tokyo Series. The Olympic Channel’s multi-platform coverage will include live streaming of all the women’s and men’s bouts across all weight categories from the first day of competition through to the finals for each event. Coverage will be available in all territories worldwide at olympicchannel.com and on its apps for mobile and connected TV devices. (No TV or cable subscription is required to watch online.) In addition to live streaming with commentary in multiple languages, highlights and news, the Olympic Channel will present a live studio show prior to the quarter-final, semi-final and final matches of each event from its Madrid headquarters.
The Boxing Road to Tokyo will benefit from extensive social media coverage. Fans will be able to be part of the action by using the hashtag #Boxing, while competing athletes and teams can join the conversation through the dedicated hashtag #InYourCorner.
African Olympic Boxing Qualifying Event to open the Road to Tokyo in Dakar (SEN)
12/02/2020
The Boxing Road to Tokyo is about to kick off in Dakar (SEN), where the first of the five Boxing Qualifying Events for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will be held from 20 to 29 February.
The best boxers of the African continent – 221 athletes from 39 nations – will be competing at the Dakar Arena for 33 Tokyo 2020 Olympic quota places.
Dakar’s best 11 female and 22 male boxers will indeed be awarded a qualification slot for the Games:
| Men | Woman | ||
| Weight categories (kg) | Quota places | Weight categories (kg) | Quota places |
| Fly (48kg to 52kg) | 3 | Fly (48kg to 51kg) | 3 |
| Feather (52kg to 57kg) | 3 | Feather (54kg to 57kg) | 2 |
| Light (57kg to 63kg) | 3 | Light (57kg to 60kg) | 2 |
| Welter (63kg to 69kg) | 3 | Welter (64kg to 69kg) | 2 |
| Middle (69kg to 75kg) | 3 | Middle (69 kg to 75kg) | 2 |
| Light Heavy (75kg to 81kg) | 3 | ||
| Heavy (81kg to 91kg) | 2 | ||
| Super Heavy (+91kg) | 2 | ||
| TOTAL | 22 | 11 |
This will be the biggest international boxing event ever organised in Senegal, and a great opportunity for the host nation of the 2022 Youth Olympic Games, also to be staged in Dakar.
The spotlight is on the home team, Senegal, chasing glory on home turf. One of their strongest contenders will certainly be Morocco, the nation that topped the team standings at the 2019 All Africa Games in Rabat. Algeria, Botswana, Egypt, Mauritius, Nigeria and Tunisia also earned at least one boxing gold medal each at last year’s multisport event, and will try their best to stand out once again during this year’s African Olympic Boxing Qualifying Event.
Across the five women’s events, statistics show us that Algeria, Botswana, Cameroon, Morocco, Nigeria and Tunisia are the nations to watch when it’s down to the medals, but D.R. Congo, Mali, Mozambique and Uganda have been developing strong programmes over the last few years and are expected to show their best during the event.
Follow the action live
The event will be live on the Olympic Channel. In addition to live streaming with commentary in English and French, highlights and news, the Olympic Channel will present a live studio show prior to the quarter-final, semi-final and final matches of each event.
News, photos and results will be posted online on the Athlete365 Boxing Corner platform at boxing.athlete365.org, while fans can join the conversation online using the hashtag #Boxing.
Event schedule
The session schedules for each continental qualifier can be found here.