ASSOCIATION of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (Abap) chairman Manny V. Pangilinan was disappointed that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Boxing Task Force (BTF) awarded the Asian/Oceanian Olympic Boxing Qualification Event hosting rights to Amman, Jordan instead of the Philippines.
The Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Boxing was originally slated in Wuhan, China but it was pulled out from there due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Pangilinan, in a statement that was furnished to SunStar Davao Saturday, January 25, said the awarding of the hosting rights was “obviously, a disappointment” as Abap also offered to host the Olympic qualifier in the Philippines.
He said, “We were prepared to fully support the hosting and would have mobilized all resources available toward that end. But there will be other opportunities and we remain steadfast in our commitment to support our boxing program with the same enthusiasm we have shown the past ten years.”
Nevertheless, he thanked the IOC Boxing Task Force for considering their offer and also wishing Jordan well in their hosting.
Pangilinan, however, reiterated his commitment to Abap president Ricky Vargas and Secretary-General Ed Picson to continue supporting the Filipino boxers who will seek slots for Olympics glory.
“I also wish to convey our appreciation to those who supported our bid to host, notably the Philippine Olympic Committee, the Philippine Sports Commission, IOC representative to the Philippines Ms. Mikee Jaworski and the public at large,” he added.
The IOC BTF chair Morinari Watanabe, in a letter addressed to Picson yesterday, January, 25, thanked Abap for the support and the offer to host the tournament.
Amid the coronavirus outbreak in China, Watanabe said, the BTF and the Chinese Olympic Committee want to cancel the event. He appreciated Abap’s official invitation to bring the event to the Philippines.
Yet, they decided and approved the proposal of the National Olympic Committee of Jordan after careful consideration of all alternatives.
“Your support and generous offer to host the event was greatly appreciated, and we know that we speak on behalf of the IOC and the entire boxing community when we say, thank you for your commitment to making sure the athletes have the chance to compete and qualify for the Olympic Games in Tokyo,” Watanabe added.