Ireland team for Olympic Qualifiers confirmed
The Irish Athletic Boxing Association last night ratified a nine-strong male and female squad for the European Olympic qualifiers in Samsun, Turkey.
Ceire Smith, Katie Taylor, Christina Desmond, Brendan Irvine, David Oliver Joyce, Dean Walsh, Michael O’Reilly, Darren O’Neill and Dean Gardiner will represent Ireland in Samsun.
Eight of the panel have been in Assisi, Italy in training camp since Monday. Smith joins the squad in Assisi tomorrow.
The Irish team are training with the host nation, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria and Finland in Italy.
Paddy Barnes, Michael Conlan and Joe Ward, who have already qualified for Rio 2016, are also in training camp in Assisi. The Rio trio return home on April 7 and the squad for the Olympic qualifiers travel straight to Samsun. Boxing begins on April 9.
Steven Donnelly, who is slated to line out for the Hussars of Poland versus Argentina in Poland in the World Series of Boxing on Friday, has also qualified for Rio.
The top two females in the three Olympic weight classes – flyweight, lightweight and middleweight – for women qualify for Rio 2016 in Samsun.
The top three males in the ten weight classes for men qualify.
Irish squad European Olympic qualifiers Samsun, Turkey April 7/17
