THE 2021 National Elite Championships have been postponed.
Five boxers from Donegal had entered the Championships, which were slated to be run over two weeks in January.
However, the Championships have now been postponed indefinitely.
The IABA has issued a circular to clubs today, advising that the decision was made following discussions and meetings with Sport Ireland and the Department of Sport.
“It was made clear that at this present time, given the current government restrictions and the high likelihood of a January 2021 post-Christmas spike, that no amount of provisions or protocols would be sufficient to mitigate the anticipated restriction levels in January,” National Secretary Paddy Gallagher said in his note.
The IABA say that they remain hopeful of running the Championships ‘as soon as possible’ and discussions with the relevant parties will be ongoing.
The email to clubs said: “It is with an extremely heavy heart that we must deliver this news which comes as another body blow to amateur boxing, following what has been arguably the toughest period the sport has endured in living memory.
“However, we wanted to present our membership with this information in as timely a fashion as possible and in turn allowing our boxers/coaches to alter their training over the Christmas period until more clarity is provided.”
Mark McCole and John Moran of Illies Golden Gloves were joined by Paddy McShane (Letterkenny BC) and Donegal natives Rosemary Doherty (St Francis, Limerick) and Stephen McMonagle (Holy Trinity, Belfast) on the entry list.
