Dates, format and weights confirmed for high stake National Elite Championships
The 2020 National Elite Championships will take place this November ahead of a crucial period for Irish boxing.
To facilitate the Olympic qualifiers, the national championships have been brought forward meaning there will be two championships this year [and none next year].
Boxing begins at the National Stadium in Dublin on November 15th with boxing also taking place on November 16th and Monday. The semi finals are penciled in for Wednesday 20th and one of the biggest finals nights in recent history will play out on Friday November 22nd.
The tournament style, the first time things have played out this way since 2008, allows for five days of fights – Round of 32, Last 16, quarters, semis, and final – although most weights will not need so many dates.
The decision to move to major tournament style is more than likely due to a restricted calendar but it could offer a benefit in recreating what boxers will experience at a Europeans, Worlds, or even Olympic Games.
However, the downside would be that cuts become even more of an issue with boxers not having time to recover from small knicks or use internal dissolvable stitches.
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Like the 2019 Championships in February, TG4 will show the finals night of the tournament sponsored by Michael Gill’s Liffey Crane Hire.
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It was initially unclear as to whether there would be eight or ten weights contested for men – with light flyweight (49kg) and lightweight (60kg) now no longer on the World Championships schedule following their removal from the Olympic roster.
The IABA today confirmed that all ten titles will be up for grabs as revealing the weights as follows.
Men: 49kg; 52kg, 57kg, 60kg, 63kg, 69kg, 75kg, 81kg, 91kg, 91+kg
(8 Olympic Weights in Bold)
Women: 48kg, 51kg, 54kg, 57kg, 60kg, 64kg, 69kg, 75kg, 80kg, 80+kg
(5 Olympic Weights in Bold)
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The draw for this years installment will take place Wednesday 13th of November at 12pm in the National Stadium.
The tournament promises to be the highest stakes edition of the championships in recent years as it is expected to act, essentially, as a direct path to the European Olympic qualifiers in London next February.
This is one of just two routes into the Olympics – unlike the five that were present for 2016 – with the same amount of places condensed into the Continental qualifiers and a final World qualifier in Tokyo in the early summer.
It is unclear if a win at the Seniors in November will offer boxers a guaranteed ticket to both qualifiers or if there will be further box-offs at unfilled slots ahead of the World qualifier.
