The Irish Amateur Boxing Association has asked the Government for funding for a major refurbishment of the National Stadium on the South Circular Road in Dublin. It is understood that a sum in the region of £1.5 million will be needed for the refurbishment which includes replacing the existing roof, the erection of a new frontage and a general upgrading of all facilities within the building.
The National Stadium, the only custom-built stadium for boxing in Europe, was completed early in 1938 and its structures have deteriorated substantially over the last 20 years. The IABA has been in touch with the Minister for Sport, Jim McDaid, in a bid to secure funds from the National Lottery. An answer is expected before the end of the month.
Meanwhile the president of the IABA, Breandan O Conaire, has issued a warning to all boxers and coaches to be extremely careful about unwittingly taking forbidden substances. At a Central Council meeting at the National Stadium on Saturday he pointed out the danger of banned substances being taken by mistake. "I would urge all people involved in boxing to be aware of the dangers. Young boxers should be told that they must not take any medication of any sort without the permission of a doctor who is aware of the banned substances rules. It would need only one accidental slip-up to bring our association into serious trouble. The message is: If in doubt, don't. Go to the doctor".
The vice president, Joe Kirwan, pointed out that few people could understand or pronounce the list of banned substances. In other news, the association is now facing one of the most expensive periods in its history with several international tournaments scheduled between now and the end of March as Irish boxers try to qualify for places in the European championships, scheduled for May 5th to 15th, and for the Olympic Games in Sydney in September.
Irish boxers will be in action with a view to qualification in Ukraine between October 5th and 12th, in Tampere, Finland between October 18th and 25th and in Bucharest between October 31st and November 7th.
The National Senior Championships preliminaries are fixed for the National Stadium on January 14th and 15th, the semi-finals for the 21st and 22nd and the finals on January 28th
Cuba yesterday published a letter to International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Juan Antonio Samaranch asking him to stamp out the "injustice and corruption" which it said were rife in the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA).
Written by Cuban Federation president Jose Barrientos and vice-president Teofilo Stevenson, the message dated August 30th repeated Cuban complaints that six of its boxers were eliminated by unfair judging at the World amateur championships in Houston at the end of August.
