Post by Dee Williams on Oct 15, 2012 9:09:49 GMT -5
Michael O’Neill reports on WBAN that Katie Taylor is seeking to retain her eligibility for the 2016 Olympic amateur boxing competition while starting to box profesionally.
www.womenboxing.com/NEWS2012/news101512katietaylor.htm
"(OCT 15) Team Taylor are examining a clause which they believe may allow the Olympic gold medallist to make up to 15 appearances as a professional before reverting to the amateur ranks, from where she would be able to defend her title in Rio in 2016, according to the 'Irish Examiner'.
According to the Cork newspaper , the 26-year old’s representatives will be discussing the matter with senior AIBA world boxing officials this weekend to establish exactly what are the ‘ hard and fast rules’ and, if given the go-ahead to switch over and back, the newspaper understands that Taylor could sign an agreement with Brian Peters Promotions and remain located in Ireland."
Why not instead allow women's boxing to do what is already done for women''s tennis, basketball, and beach volleyball - open the Olympic competition to professional athletes?
Then, instead of cutting some special "deal": for Katie Taylor to retain her eligibility as described in this article, boxing fans worldwide could see the likes of Ava Knight, Yesica Bopp, Jeannine Garside, Erica Farias, Susie Ramadan, Cecilia Braekhus and Christina Hammer in Olympic competition going for Olympic gold under amateur rules.
The Olympic women's boxing competition will be at a crossroads of credibility anyway if it starts to allow some athletes to compete professionally and then revert to amateur status for the Olympic year. Does the boxing world want the Olympics to be the crown jewel of strictly amateur competition as it has been up until now, or to become a competition where open to the best boxers in the world at any level?
Other sports have gone the "best of the best" route and have allowed professional athletes into the Olympic arena. Why not boxing?
One difference is that the rules of amateur and professional boxing differ in ways that do not apply to sports that have allowed professionals to compete in the Olympics - use of headgear, scoring system, etc. would all be in the mix in the case of boxing.
But rather than cut deals for a few "elite athletes" to stay in the Olympics after taking part in some pro competition, why not go the whole way and open the competition to any boxers who are willing to contest the Olympic boxing titles under Olympic rules?
They do that now in men's ice hockey - why not in boxing?
And while they are at it, let's see more than just three weight classes for women's boxing in the Olympics. The restriction to just three medal weights distorts women's amateur competition worldwide by discouraging the best athletes from competing at non-Olympic weights. How about true equality of opportunity for female amateur boxers in the same weight classes as the men next time?
Olympic women's boxing was a success in showing worldwide TV audiences that female boxing can be an enjoyable athletic contest to watch. It became one of the acknowledged highlights of the competition in London. Now is the time to consider how to maximize that success going forward. I hope Katie Taylor's "situation" could open up a broader discussion of future possibilities for women's Olympic boxing competition.
www.womenboxing.com/NEWS2012/news101512katietaylor.htm
"(OCT 15) Team Taylor are examining a clause which they believe may allow the Olympic gold medallist to make up to 15 appearances as a professional before reverting to the amateur ranks, from where she would be able to defend her title in Rio in 2016, according to the 'Irish Examiner'.
According to the Cork newspaper , the 26-year old’s representatives will be discussing the matter with senior AIBA world boxing officials this weekend to establish exactly what are the ‘ hard and fast rules’ and, if given the go-ahead to switch over and back, the newspaper understands that Taylor could sign an agreement with Brian Peters Promotions and remain located in Ireland."
Why not instead allow women's boxing to do what is already done for women''s tennis, basketball, and beach volleyball - open the Olympic competition to professional athletes?
Then, instead of cutting some special "deal": for Katie Taylor to retain her eligibility as described in this article, boxing fans worldwide could see the likes of Ava Knight, Yesica Bopp, Jeannine Garside, Erica Farias, Susie Ramadan, Cecilia Braekhus and Christina Hammer in Olympic competition going for Olympic gold under amateur rules.
The Olympic women's boxing competition will be at a crossroads of credibility anyway if it starts to allow some athletes to compete professionally and then revert to amateur status for the Olympic year. Does the boxing world want the Olympics to be the crown jewel of strictly amateur competition as it has been up until now, or to become a competition where open to the best boxers in the world at any level?
Other sports have gone the "best of the best" route and have allowed professional athletes into the Olympic arena. Why not boxing?
One difference is that the rules of amateur and professional boxing differ in ways that do not apply to sports that have allowed professionals to compete in the Olympics - use of headgear, scoring system, etc. would all be in the mix in the case of boxing.
But rather than cut deals for a few "elite athletes" to stay in the Olympics after taking part in some pro competition, why not go the whole way and open the competition to any boxers who are willing to contest the Olympic boxing titles under Olympic rules?
They do that now in men's ice hockey - why not in boxing?
And while they are at it, let's see more than just three weight classes for women's boxing in the Olympics. The restriction to just three medal weights distorts women's amateur competition worldwide by discouraging the best athletes from competing at non-Olympic weights. How about true equality of opportunity for female amateur boxers in the same weight classes as the men next time?
Olympic women's boxing was a success in showing worldwide TV audiences that female boxing can be an enjoyable athletic contest to watch. It became one of the acknowledged highlights of the competition in London. Now is the time to consider how to maximize that success going forward. I hope Katie Taylor's "situation" could open up a broader discussion of future possibilities for women's Olympic boxing competition.