Team Ireland women travel to China today to take part in an unprecedented training camp as part of preparations for the 2025 Women’s World Championships in Serbia next month.

This is the first time a High-Performance team has travelled to China for a camp – they’ll train with China’s First Team at the Chinese National Olympic Sport Centre in the Chaoyang District of Beijing – this was the venue for soccer, track and selected Modern Pentathlon events at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

The team includes European U23 silver medalist, Carleigh Irving, Paris Olympians Daina Moorehouse, Jenny Lehane, Michaela Walsh, Gráinne Walsh and Aoife O’Rourke, and 2022 World Champion and 2024 European U23 champion, Lisa O’Rourke.

Taking place February 11th to 22nd, the camp will include high-level sparring, and co-training with the China team, and builds on preparations which have already included a domestic sparring camp with France in December.

Team Ireland will be led by High Performance Coach, Damian Kennedy. Kennedy took the lead coach role during the 2nd Olympic World Qualifier in Bangkok, where 4 boxers qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. High Performance Head Coach, Zauri Antia, will continue preparations in Ireland for the 75th Strandja Memorial Tournament, taking place in Sofia, Bulgaria from February 22nd to March 3rd. This will include a home sparring camp with Ulster High Performance athletes next week, and a men’s camp at the tournament base.

Zauri says “This is a superb and exciting opportunity for two of the best women’s teams in the world to train together and learn from one another as part of federation’s preparation for the Women’s World Championships. The development potential of this training camp is significant for each boxer and for the squad as a whole.”

Team Ireland

48kg Carleigh Irving, Oakleaf Boxing Club, Derry

50kg Daina Moorehouse, Enniskerry Boxing Club, Wicklow

54kg Jenny Lehane, DCU Athletic Boxing Club, Dublin

57kg Michaela Walsh, Holy Family GG, Belfast

66kg Grainne Walsh, St. Mary’s BC Tallaght, Dublin

70kg Lisa O’Rourke, Castlerea BC, Roscommon

75kg Aoife O’Rourke, Castlerea BC, Roscommon

Coach Damian Kennedy

Coach Eoin Pluck

Physiotherapist Rob Tuomey.