NEWSLETTER by EUBC President Franco Falcinelli June 2021

In June 2021 the Continental Olympic Qualification Tournament ended in Paris, which began more than a year ago and was interrupted due to the spread of COVID 19 in London. The French Federation led by Dominique Nato perfectly organized the pre-Olympic event despite the restrictive measures imposed by the pandemic.

For the Tokyo Games, Europe will be presented by boxers from 22 National Federations: 28 women boxers and 50 men boxers

Shortly after, the 5th edition of EUBC Under 22 European Boxing Championships started on the beach of Lido degli Abruzzi with an opening ceremony, very original and suggestive.

The Continental Tournament showcased the high technical level of the athletes and their growth prospects to become the protagonists of Paris 2024, both men and women.

European Olympic boxing is in excellent condition despite a dire pandemic. Thanks to the courage and perseverance of boxing club trainers and national trainers in federal centers who challenged and defeated Covid 19 while continuing to train their boxers.

Just look at the data published by the best boxing journalist, Tibor Kincses, to understand how active and widespread high-level boxing is in Europe.

• Number of participating boxers: 285 (92 women and 193 men)

• Number of participating nations: 41

 Historical moments in the EUBC U22 European Boxing Championships Roseto 2021:

– Iceland made its debut in the EUBC U22 European Boxing Championships

– Russia achieved 15 medals, same record as in the last 2019 edition

– Italy has never claimed nine medals in the history of the EUBC U22 European Boxing Championships

– Israel has never had any finalists in the previous edition of the EUBC U22 European Boxing Championships

– Netherlands achieved its first ever medal in the event, their Mustafa Akraa advance also to the final

– Finland achieved its first medals in the U22 championships and their 20-year-old Vilma Viitanen has got the chance to win her weight category

– Germany has never had three finalists in the previous editions

– Five medals of France is their new record in the U22 level

Unfortunately, there was an aspect in Roseto that I thought was not relevant to our sport.

Some athletes vandalized Roseto Beach, drank alcoholic drinks in a bar and did not pay the bill. There was even a case when a coach pushed an elderly man for asking him to put on a mask in a public place. In the fall, the elderly man hit his head and was taken to a hospital in Roseto.

All episodes have appropriate documentary evidence and will be referred to the AIBA Disciplinary Commission, which will apply the appropriate sanctions.

The problem, however, is alarming due to the violation of the rules of self-control, respect for others. This behavior in and out of the ring brings down the certainty that boxing is a highly educational sport.

We cannot lose this particular characteristic which has a notable social implication especially in this historical period where the role of the school, the family and society have considerably reduced the control and educational severity of the younger generations.

We are able to recover from this social disadvantage, but the training of coaches and the appointment of national representatives to the Team Leaders must be more attentive and responsible.

A European-level Judicial Referees Course was also held in Roseto for the transition from 1nd to 2nd AIBA Stars led by AIBA Instructor Mr. John Weiht in which 11 referees and judgees took part and then officiated during the Championship.

The Chairman of the AIBA R&J Commission Mr. Chris Roberts also supervised the course.

In between the first and second sessions of the finals, EUBC presented the “ 2019 Awards”, which was not possible before due to the pandemic. The winners have shown their best qualities and abilities in their respective sectors of boxing, making a great contribution to improving the image of European boxing.

Unfortunately, Boris Van der Vorst, the Chairman of the EUBC Passion for Boxing Commission,  was unable to attend the award ceremony, but stressed that the people selected were all the best expressions of the European boxing movement.

The Chairman Boris Van der Vorst has assured that by 2021 we will also deliver the “2020 AWARDS”.

Congratulations to Zsuzsanna Toth

It is with great pleasure to announce and congratulate Mrs Susanna Toth for having received an important assignment from AIBA. The role of AIBA Delegate at the ISF.

Her qualified experience in the national and international field will be very useful for starting and consolidating relations with the International Sport School Federation.

Condolences to family and the whole Boxing world

I want to pay tribute to a friend who left us these days Janghir Riaz a true friend of boxing who has supported all our European Championships for many years providing the valuable technical material of GREEN HILL. His untimely death pains us deeply.  On behalf of all European boxing, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the family and all your loved ones. Farewell, Jhanghir. Rest in Peace

European Junior Boxing Championships 2021

The Junior European Boxing Championships will start in Tbilisi (GEO) from 1 to 12 July. Both the Georgian Federation and its president David Tsiklauri are ready to confirm their reputation as qualified organizers, and with the support of AIBA, this event will also be another testament to the quality and quantity, which underlines the special attention to the youth activities of almost all our national federations.

International Tournaments in June:

June 6 – 12: 5^th Junior Nations Cup, Vrbas, Serbia

June 7 – 11: Int. Boxing Tournament in memory of V. Botvinnik, Minsk, Belarus