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Ireland’s five-strong squad arrived in Bucharest, Romania via Dublin Airport this morning ahead of the opening bell for the 9th EUBC European Women’s Elite Championships on Saturday.
Olympic champion Katie Taylor is included in the Irish team. The Bray lightweight will be aiming for her sixth successive 60kg title in the Romanian capital, nine years after securing her first European gold in Norway in 2005.
Ceire Smith, Michaela Walsh, Joanna Lambe and Clare Grace are also included in the Irish panel for the first AIBA ranking tournament for Elite European female boxers since London 2012.
“The squad are in great spirits and are all looking forward to the weigh-in and draw and getting the tournament underway, said Irish team manager Fiona Hennigan.
“It will be a big test for the team, but they are quietly confident that they will do well.”
The 2014 EUBC European Women’s Championships, the 9th in the edition since France 2001, will also act as a qualifier for the inaugural 2015 European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan, as confirmed by EUBC President Franco Falcinelli.
He said: “After the success of the previous eight European Women’s Editions, it is my pleasure that the Romanian Boxing Federation will be hosting this important EUBC event in Bucharest.
“I’m also proud to communicate that the 2014 Women’s European Boxing Championships is also a Qualifying event for the first edition of the European 2015 Games hosted by the city of Baku, Azerbaijan.”
Thirty one nations, represented by 172 boxers, will compete at 2014 EUBC European Women’s Elite Championships at the Polyvalent Hall in Bucharest.
Armenia, Azerbaijan, England, Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Switzerland, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Moldova, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the Ukraine have entered.
