AIBA to strike out Tañamor's division

MILAN – To accommodate 36 qualifiers in women’s boxing, AIBA (Association Internationale de Boxe) will eliminate the 48-kilogram or lightflyweight division in the men’s program of the 2012 London Olympics.

AIBA Executive Committee member Nieva Tesoro Embuldeniya, a Filipina now living in Sri Lanka, said the other day the decision is in line with keeping the total qualifiers in boxing for both men and women to 286.

The ruling strikes a big blow on the Philippines’ hopes since the country’s last three Olympic medals came from the lightflyweight class in men’s boxing with Leopoldo Serrantes in 1988, Roel Velasco in 1992 and Onyok Velasco in 1996.

Embuldeniya said the AIBA will start the men’s Olympic program with the 51 kilogram or flyweight division all the way to superheavyweight or plus-91 kilograms, reducing the categories from 11 to 10.

“It doesn’t mean lightflyweights won’t be able to qualify,” she explained. “The base for the 51 kilogram division will be 48 kilograms so lightflyweights may be eligible to fight as flyweights. The problem is if a country has a lightflyweight who’s as capable as a flyweight – in that case, a choice must be made for either of the two.”

Harry Tañamor, a two-time Olympian who won the gold medal as a lightflyweight at the World Cup in Moscow last year, is bidding to make his final Olympic appearance in London at 34, the age limit for boxing. But with the new AIBA ruling, he’ll have to prove himself in the flyweight class.

The women’s program will usher in the flyweight (48-51 kilograms), lightweight (56-60 kilograms) and middleweight (69-75 kilograms) divisions with 12 fighters each.

The restricted divisions will make it difficult for the country’s top female bet Annie Albania to qualify. Albania took the silver medal as a lightbantamweight (52 kilograms) at the Women’s World Championships in Ningbo last year. If she hopes to qualify for the London Olympics, Albania must drop down to either flyweight or move up to lightweight.

Embuldeniya said introducing women’s boxing in the Olympic calendar provides a goal for female fighters. “It’s high time for women’s boxing to be recognized as an Olympic event,” she said. “Now, women boxers have something to aspire for. Additionally, countries unable to find success in their men’s programs may now focus on the women who might have better chances to win medals. I think Sri Lanka and the Philippines, for instance, have more Olympic medal potentials among the women than men.”

Women’s boxing was actually a demonstration sport at the 1904 Olympics but wasn’t sanctioned in Europe until Sweden revived it in 1988, leading to England’s participation in 1997. It was in 2001 when AIBA staged the first Women’s World Championships in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

British sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe welcomed the inclusion of women’s boxing in the Olympics and said it was “massive boost” to the sport.

AIBA president Dr. Ching Kuo Wu said the decision to introduce women’s boxing in the Olympics is “a vote for the future.” He added that now, women can claim their rightful place alongside men in the Olympic boxing program. For the record, AIBA accepted women’s boxing in 1994.

Embuldeniya said that while “nothing beats the Olympics” in terms of the quality of fighters, the caliber in the World Championships here is extremely high.

“There are a lot more fighters in the World Championships than the Olympics and AIBA’s decision to use seedings eliminates the incidence of ranking contenders taking each other out in the early stages to leave the medals to those with the luck of the draw,” said Embuldeniya. “This innovation has made the Milan tournament more exciting and more challenging.”

Embuldeniya said the Philippines’ return to significant participation in AIBA tournaments was hailed by no less than Dr. Wu. “AIBA is extremely happy that the Philippines is back in circulation with a new leadership,” noted Embuldeniya. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to cheer for any Filipino fighters because as a member of the panel that assigns referees and judges for every bout, I don’t even get to watch a fight. Besides, as an AIBA Executive Committee member, I’m supposed to be neutral. The same with my husband who is with the Referees and Judges Commission.