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Such a decision will have a very painful effect on the Lithuanian boxing team. Gabrielė Stonkutė, the only Lithuanian representative, will compete in the European zone selection tournament. For other Lithuanian boxers, the only option remains to enter the Olympics through qualifications.
“Nine Lithuanian representatives had to compete in the world selection tournament in Paris. Now they are prevented from winning tickets in the ring. The decision of the organizers is difficult to explain and the most painful for the small states. The Lithuanian Boxing Federation , together with the Lithuanian National Olympic Committee, is already preparing an appeal to the International Olympic Committee to ensure that quotas are taken into account when allocating tickets to states and that Olympic principles are respected. Our initiative is supported by many neighboring countries, their boxing federations also intend to address the International Olympic Committee, ”says Darius Šaluga, president of the Lithuanian Boxing Federation.
Lithuanian boxers participated in all the Summer Olympics after the restoration of independence. At least two boxers represented Lithuania in every game.
Dividing the entries according to the ranking, one of the best Lithuanian boxers, the European champion Eimantas Stanionis, who emerges victorious in the professional ring, loses the opportunity to compete in the Olympics.
“E. Stanionis is one of the strongest boxers in his weight class in the world and can win an Olympic medal. As a result of such a decision, E. Stanionis even loses the opportunity to fight for the Olympic pass. I am convinced that They have stolen Lithuania from us, they have stolen a possible Olympic medal from us, because Stanionis could really fight for the Olympic medal, perhaps even the highest, ”confirms Lithuanian coach Vidas Bružas in an interview.
– What was your reaction to the cancellation of the World Cup qualifiers? How will this affect the Lithuanian boxing team? – we asked V. Bružas.
– The first reaction is an impact like thunder in a clear sky. This shows a clear incompetence of the organizers. After all, these are not ordinary competitions, but the Olympic Games, which take place every four years and will now take place in five years. He has been preparing for qualifying competitions, accents, training camps and tournaments for five years. And here one day he decides that there will be no decisive qualifying tournament. Six Lithuanian boxers and three boxers had to participate in the world selection tournament in Paris. We expected to win maybe not even one, but at least two Olympic passes. The entire plan of the season is organized in such a way that in this tournament the optimal sporting form of the boxers of the Lithuanian team is achieved. The Lithuanians fought in tournaments in Denmark, Poland and Hungary, several more tournaments are planned in foreign countries and the Algirdas Šocikas tournament in Kaunas. And all that work and all the plans are erased in an irresponsible and unreasonable decision. We see tournaments taking place in many countries and the organizers are grappling with the challenges that arise. However, it was decided not to organize the most important tournament.
– Who will decide who will receive the tickets for the Tokyo Olympics?
– The organizers of the Olympic qualifying tournament announce that the destination of the tickets will be determined by the ranking they will carry out based on the results obtained in world championships and other tournaments from 2017 to 2021. This is absurd because in Olympic boxing, the classifications do not they have meaning, not even a normal system by which they are calculated. No amateur boxer fights for ranking points as they have no meaning and influence in the competition. Some sports, such as athletics, judo, and others, pay close attention to the global rankings of athletes and select athletes for the Olympics accordingly. They were informed about the rankings a few years ago and in some sports, the rankings have been a big determinant for decades. And in amateur boxing, nobody paid attention to ranking and nobody got ranking points specifically because they had no meaning.
– According to the ranking, do Lithuanian boxers have the possibility to participate in the Olympic Games?
– We still don’t have a clear answer. The impression is that the organizers first announced that they would be selected for the games by ranking, and only then did they think about how to implement it. The discrepancies between the preliminary rankings published by the Olympic tournament organizers and the unofficial rankings made by the International Boxing Federation (AIBA) are shocking. The positions of some boxers vary in up to a dozen places. This is completely incomprehensible. Lithuania Iveta Lešinskytė, who was ranked fifth in the world and European championships in 2019, is ranked ninth in the AIBA ranking, which would guarantee a place in the Olympics. Meanwhile, in the ranking of the organizers of the Olympic qualifying tournament, Lithuania is only 21st. How can the ratings differ so much! Lithuania is just one step away from the medal in the world and European championships, and is only 21st in the ranking. Other Lithuanian classifications are also difficult to explain. Edgar Skurdel is 37th in his weight class in the AIBA rankings and only 85th in the Olympic team. Tadas Tamašauskas, who ranked ninth in the World Championship, is ranked 36th in the ranking of the Olympic team. But that doesn’t guarantee a place in the Olympics. The last two boxers are capable of winning Olympic passes if the fights take place in a ring rather than on paper.
– How did other countries, Latvia, Estonia or our other neighbors, react to such a decision?
– The impression given by the organizers of the Olympic qualifiers is very favorable for the big countries and rich countries that dictate fashions in world boxing. Meanwhile, small countries remain on the sidelines. After such a shocking decision, we had to communicate with several representatives of our closest neighbors – Latvians, Estonians, Poles, Swedes, Norwegians and others – all are shocked by such a decision. Destroy the Olympic spirit and the idea of the Olympic Games.
– If the tickets for the Olympics will be determined by the classification, does that mean that we do not have the opportunity to see one of the best Lithuanian boxers Eimantas Stanionis in Tokyo?
– In my deep conviction, Eimantas Stanionis is one of the strongest boxers in his weight class in the world and is capable of winning an Olympic medal. He planned to compete in the World Olympic Qualifiers in Paris. But due to such a decision, E. Stanionis even misses the opportunity to fight for the Olympic pass. I am convinced that Lithuania has been stolen from us, a possible Olympic medal has been stolen from us, because Stanionis could really fight for the prize, perhaps even the highest quality: gold. Therefore, such decisions are contrary to the Olympic principles: one of the favorites does not even have the opportunity to compete for the right to fight in the Olympic Games. Professional boxers were given the right to compete in the Olympics, but now everything is blacked out by the incompetence of the organizers to hold a decisive qualifying tournament. We have other painful examples. European Youth Champion Gabrielė Stonkutė is one of Europe’s brightest rising stars. But you only have one chance to get to Tokyo, if you win the World and European Championships in the European qualifiers. According to the ranking, a Lithuanian does not have a chance to enter the Olympics. He only moved to adult boxing this year, and the gold from the European Junior Championship has no bearing on the rankings. It’s like earning points for her if she didn’t even have that chance due to age restrictions.
– There has been a lot of debate about the need to restart the European qualifiers, which were cut in half last year. Is there a possibility?
– Many countries are unhappy that the European qualifying tournament will not resume, but only from the stage where it was suspended. Over the years, some boxers who have won tickets to Tokyo have already finished their careers, others have gone professional and do not even intend to go to Tokyo. Teams from major boxing states announce that their team leaders have changed over the years and other boxers, who are currently showing better results, have to go to the Olympics. However, the organizers of the Olympic qualifying tournaments have once again announced that no changes are possible. Those who have already won tickets to Tokyo should do so. And if they already finished their careers before reaching the 2020 Olympics. It is not clear who will replace them.
– Is Lithuania still hopeful that boxers from our country will enter the Tokyo Olympics?
– Hope is the last thing you lose. Lithuanian boxers participated in all the Summer Olympics after the restoration of independence. We hope that despite all the difficulties and the pandemic, we will continue the tradition and there will be representatives of Lithuanian boxing in Tokyo. The Lithuanian Boxing Federation will request the International Olympic Committee to take the circumstances into account in order to draw attention to the principles of the Olympic Games. May common sense prevail. As an example, I can cite the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, when Lithuania, which had just regained its independence, received a series of nominal invitations, or so-called quotas, to the state. Up to four Lithuanian boxers fought in Barcelona. We hope and strive very much to provide at least the slightest opportunity for small countries to have their representatives in boxing competitions. We have already discussed this with boxing representatives from neighboring countries and we have all unanimously decided that we will go to the IOC. We will work to ensure that the situation is taken into account, that small states are not discriminated against and that the Olympic principles are respected.
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