England to attend Boxam Tournament after decision to pull out of Youth Euros

England Boxing will not be sending a team to the Youth European Championships 2023 in Armenia, it can regrettably confirm.

Instead, those selected in the squad will compete in the Boxam Tournament in Spain, which will be staged between 15th and 21st May and attend two extra training camps in the lead up to that trip.

The decision for the Three Lions not to travel to Yerevan has been made on the understanding that Russian and Belarussian boxers are set to compete.

The IBA banned boxers from Russian and Belarus from competing in its events following the invasion of Ukraine last year, but has subsequently reversed that ruling while many others sports still have sanctions against those two countries in place.

“England Boxing fully supports Ukraine and does not believe that Russian and Belarussian athletes should be allowed to compete in international sports competition while an invasion of Ukraine is still in effect,” said England Boxing’s Chief Executive Officer, Jerome Pels.

“The international sports community has made it clear to Russia and her allies that their terrible actions will not be tolerated and must have consequences.

“The position of the IBA and EUBC to allow Russian and Belarus competitors back into its events is not a policy England Boxing agrees with, and therefore no England boxers nor officials will be attending events with participation from Russia or Belarus.”

The England Youth squad boxers have been training hard in camps since shortly after the England Boxing National Junior Championships 2023 concluded in mid-February.

They will travel to Ireland this weekend, as planned, and the extra training camps that have been arranged will ensure they stay sharp leading up to the start of the Boxam tournament.

England Boxing’s Head of Performance, Chris Connelly, said: “We are, of course, frustrated that we will not be competing at the Youth European Championships 2023, as we had selected a talented group of boxers who I have no doubt would have been successful in delivering medals.

“We had constantly been monitoring the situation and trying our hardest to find a resolution, however, unfortunately it hasn’t been possible

“The boxers will always be our main priority and we have worked hard to make sure they still have an alternative opportunity. They were selected to represent the country based on merit and through hard work – and that will still be rewarded.”

Pic by Clive Wood