By REY C. LACHICA
PARIS – Ricky Vargas, chairman of the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP), is hopeful that boxing would be staged in the Los Angeles Games four years from now.
Gaining the desired numbers and strength, Vargas said the World Boxing, in which the PH association belongs, is going to seek an audience with officials of the International Olympic Committee and appeal that it would be recognized so it can stage boxing in the LA Games.
Like in the Tokyo Games, the IOC runs the show in the Paris Olympics after it stripped the International Boxing Association (IBA) of recognition last year over its failure to implement reforms on governance and finance.
The other condition imposed by the IOC is for World Boxing to have at least 50 members.
The IOC said WB has only 37 members while IBA has more than that, but Vargas clarified that report, saying: “We are now 51.”
“We would love to see boxing, we want to see boxing on the program in LA. Now it is up to the boxing community to organize themselves for the sport and for the athletes,” IOC spokesperson Mark Adams in a recent press conference.
That was the IOC’s stand after IBA held a press conference here where it launched another attack on the IOC.
“I just had a meeting with a Thai official and we are hopeful that boxing be held,” said Vargas, who apologized to all Filipino boxing fans for not going home with a gold medal.
“Sorry to disappoint you. No excuses but we assure you that we gave our best,” said Vargas as he thanked the gallantry and sacrifices did by Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas who won a bronze medal each.
Vargas said it is important that boxing be held in LA because of a large Filipino community there which can help the cause of the national boxing team.
Boxing has been a great source of pride for the country ever since Jose Villanueva produced a silver in the 1932 Games.
In the country’s 100 years of participation, boxing has accounted for 10 of the 18 medals won so far. Of the 10, four are silvers courtesy of Villanueva, Onyok Velasco (1996), Carlo Paalam (2020) and Petecio (2020).
While a gold medal remains elusive in the Olympics, Vargas vowed that it would remain to be the association’s goal.
