The Olympic Boxing Task Force announced the host cities and dates of the four Continental Qualifying Events and the final World Qualifying Event that will give boxers the chance to qualify for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
The sites were selected with legacy in mind, as all five qualification events will be held in former or future Olympic Games or Youth Olympic Games host cities or countries.
The five qualification events with host cities and dates were announced as follows:
Africa: DAKAR, Senegal, 20-29 February 2020 (venue: Dakar Arena, Diamniadio)
Asia/Oceania: Amman, Jordan, 3-11 March 2020
Europe: LONDON, United Kingdom, 14-24 March 2020 (venue: Copper Box Arena, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park)
Americas: BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, 26 March – 3 April 2020 (venue: CeNARD high-performance athletics training centre)
World: PARIS, France, 13-20 May 2020 (venue: Grand Dôme, Villebon-sur-Yvette)
“The qualification events announced today represent a fair and transparent pathway to the Olympic Games with equal opportunities for all National Olympic Committees,’’ said Boxing Task Force Chair and IOC Member Morinari Watanabe. “Everything is being done to provide world-class qualification events and to ensure the best possible conditions for the athletes.”
There will be eight (8) weight categories for men and five (5) for women at the Games, giving a total of thirteen (13) categories. Additionally, there is no change in the weight categories and so they remain as follows:
The continental athlete quota distribution in the qualification system is based on participation and results at the past two Olympic Games and two World Championships, to reflect the landscape of global boxing.
The final World Qualifying Event in Paris will give athletes a second chance to qualify, and will be open only to those boxers who have not yet qualified for the Games.
The qualification events will count towards filling the overall quota of 286 athletes for the Tokyo 2020 tournament – 186 places for men across eight weight categories and 100 places for women across five weight categories (compared to 250 men and 36 women in Rio).
While the total number of athletes has been maintained from the Rio 2016 Games, the number of female boxers has been increased by 178 per cent for Tokyo 2020, in a major boost for gender equality and in keeping with the enhanced quality and popularity of female boxing.
DOWNLOAD QUALIFICATION SYSTEM HERE
To be eligible to participate in the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, all athletes must meet the criteria listed in the Qualification System, including:
Under this joint responsibility, all NOCs and NFs will have the right to enter any athlete/s that fully complies with the qualification eligibility criteria, including professional boxers.
NOCs are encouraged to work with their respective National Boxing Federations (NF) with regards to the Olympic qualification events and the Tokyo 2020 boxing tournament. All qualification events require both the NF and NOC to confirm the entry of the athlete and their technical and medical standards.
In the event that an NF does not recommend athletes to its respective NOC to be entered into the qualification events and/or the Games themselves, the NOC is empowered to enter their athletes without the recommendation of the NF.
In line with the mandate of primarily 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 minimizing the impact on boxers.
DOWNLOAD THE EVENT REGULATIONS HERE
