Addis Ababa, July 26, 2024 (FBC) – Ethiopian boxer Fikremariam Yadesa will not be participating in the boxing competition at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, the organizers of the event confirmed in an official statement.
Ethiopia will also be participating in the Olympic Games boxing tournament after 20-year absence. The last time Ethiopian boxers took part in the Olympics was in 2004 in Athens. Yadesa Lemma will represent the country in the boxing category.
It is to be recalled that Fikremariam has been given the African quota by the International Olympic Committee Task Force following the withdrawal of Nigeria’s Omole Dolapo because of a left knee injury.
“Upon the scheduled conclusion of the Boxing Entry Check for the Olympic Games Paris 2024, at 15:00 of 24 July 2024, Team Ethiopia has failed to present the relevant documentation regarding the participation of boxer Fikremariam Yadesa Leta in the competition and, therefore, the boxer is ineligible to participate in the competition,” the official statement stated, adding that “This decision follows section 3.2 of the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit Event Regulations.”
Consequently, Mr. [Fikremariam] Leta will not be included in the Official Draw for the Men’s 57kg event, the organizers’s statement further clarified.
“With this, the Men’s 57kg event will have the participation of 17 boxers, as opposed to 18 athletes, thus reducing the number of bouts in this event by 1. Therefore Session 03 will no longer contain the Men’s 57kg event,” the statement further stated.
It is known that delegation of Ethiopia national Olympic team has landed in Paris ahead of the 33rd Edition of Summer Olympic Games which will be held in the French capital and other areas of the European nation.
Ethiopia’s Olympic Team will participate in athletics, swimming, and boxing, with a total of 39 athletes representing the country at the prestigious event which is set to officially kick off later today and will conclude on August 11, 2024.
The 33rd Olympic Games are set to take place in Paris from July 26 to August 11, 2024, featuring a total of 10,714 athletes from 206 countries, including independent athletes competing under the umbrella of the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Refugee Team. These athletes will compete in 32 sports.