Cancellation of 2021 Youth World Championships Selection Event

After consideration and consultation with senior office-bearers of Boxing Australia Member Associations the Board of Boxing Australia is very disappointed to announce it has taken the decision to cancel the Australia Youth Team Selection Tournament for the 2021 Youth World Championships.

The Board has taken this decision because of the danger to health as a result of the Covid-19 Pandemic and other uncertainties consequently created that have led it to believe it cannot responsibly propose an Australian Team could compete in the 2021 Youth World Championships.

The World Youth Championships is scheduled to be conducted in April in Kielce, Poland.

However, the Board believes it would be wrong for it to undertake to enter an Australian Team into this Championships when there is vulnerability with regard to health safety and overall uncertainty associated with:

• lengthy air travel,
• mixing with hundreds of people from across the world,
• the serious Covid-19 Pandemic situation in Poland,
• travel back to Australia, possibly at multiple cost compared to pre-Pandemic airfare costs because of airline passenger ‘quota’ restrictions on numbers of persons able to enter Australia, and
• the possibility of quarantine requirements still being in force in Australia.

Given this situation the Board has decided an Australian Team will not be entered into this World Championships.

The Board has asked National Futures Coach Jamie Pittman to prepare for 2021 a comprehensive National Futures Youth Program, including an Australian Youth Team Selection Tournament probably to be held in association with the 2021 Youth, Junior, Under 15 and Under 13 Australian Championships, and to determine an appropriate tournament for that Team to be entered later in 2021. This Program will be finalised and advised in the New Year.