Assembling an Olympic boxing team for Paris 2024 took years of dedication from the athletes, and once the process began in earnest, it was as complex and grueling as the sport itself.
From mid-2023, qualifying competitions for all continents began. These events include the Asian Games, the European Games, the Pacific Games and the Pan American Games.
This year, two world qualifying tournaments for Paris 2024 were held in Italy (March) and Thailand (May). These were direct qualifiers, with the first offering 49 places to 670 boxers from 113 nations. The second was the last chance to qualify and offered a similar number of places.
In January, the UK held the British Open via the Boxing World Cup to give the country’s top competitors a better chance of qualifying. More than 20 UK boxers took part in what was considered a warm-up event.
The Jugo Mobile looks at further details regarding boxers’ qualification for Paris 2024.
How many boxers will compete in Paris 2024?
There will be 249 boxers (125 men and 124 women) competing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
How do boxers qualify for Paris 2024?
There are no rankings. In each weight class, seeding positions will be based on the results of the qualifying competition and a random draw.
Which boxers qualified for Team USA?
Team USA will be one of the most prominent boxing groups at Paris 2024 and will capture much of the attention.
In October, four boxers qualified after their successful performances at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games. The names were Jajaira González (Glendora, California), Jahmal Harvey (Oxon Hill, Maryland), Jennifer Lozano (Laredo, Texas) and Morelle McCane (Cleveland, Ohio).
In April, four more boxers qualified after winning medals at the 2024 USA Boxing Invitational in Pueblo, Colorado. Those boxers were Joshua Edwards (Houston, Texas), Omari Jones (Orlando, Florida), Roscoe Hill (Springs, Texas) and Alyssa Mendoza (Caldwell, ID).
All wrestlers were required to compete at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Team Trials and in qualifying and pre-qualifying competition events.
Can professional boxers qualify for the Olympics?
In a controversial decision, the IOC allowed professional boxers to compete at the 2016 Rio Olympics for the first time, so the answer is yes.
Many felt that this decision could negatively affect amateur boxing, or even destroy it altogether. Amateur boxers compete three three-minute rounds with large gloves and protective headgear, while world-class professionals fight twelve three-minute rounds with small gloves and no protective headgear.
In 2016, both the IBF and WBC issued press releases declaring that they would ban professional boxers from the Rio Games. The decision remains unpopular in 2024.
Earlier this year, former eight-weight world champion and boxing legend Manny Pacquiao, 45, was denied a spot at Paris 2024. The IOC rejected his application to represent the Philippines because he was five years over the age threshold.
