Stories by Sibusiso Masilela
It’s a blow for local boxer Thabiso Dlamini.
The Matsapha Boxing Club will no longer attend the Olympic boxing qualifiers scheduled between May 23 and June 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand.
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This has been caused by administrative challenges encountered by the race organisers.
The boxer is now hoping to qualify for a universality slot together with female Taekwondo star Carlotta Munave.
Eswatini Olympic Commonwealth Games Association (EOCGA) Chief Executive Officer Maxwell Jele lamented the news when contacted by the Eswatini Daily News.
“Yes, I can confirm that due to an unfortunate development, Thabiso will no longer attend the Paris 2024 Boxing qualifiers scheduled to be held in Thailand within the next two weeks.
We have applied for a Universality Slot for both Thabiso Dlamini and Carlota Munave through the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Special Committee.
We are hopeful that this route may be fruitful, as was the case during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. In this regard, we have implored all top athletes to focus on their training programmes,” Jele said.
Dlamini previously represented the country in the 2023 African Games and continental Olympic Games which were held in Ghana and Senegal respectively.
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He recently missed the Mandela African Boxing Cup in Durban where the boxing national team won two silver medals and one bronze medal through the female duo of Veliswa Magaya, Temalangeni Dlamini and Nhlanhla Dlamini at the Durban International Convention Centre.
He spent 2023 in Russia where he underwent a one-year training program through the International Boxing Association (IBA) funding.
He is part of the EOCGA current scholarship program which also includes Sibusiso Matsenjwa(Athletics)Carlotta Munave ( Taekwondo), Hayley Hoy and Simanga Dlamini both from Swimming, among others.
The other scholarship beneficiaries are also hoping to qualify for the Paris Olympic games within their respective disciplines.
