Pacquiao exceeds the age limit for Olympic boxing

Manny Pacquiao, the renowned boxing icon, will not be able to participate in the Paris Olympics due to age restrictions. Despite appeals from the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) for Pacquiao’s inclusion, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) emphasized the 40-year-old age limit for Olympic athletes, with Pacquiao being 45 years old.

Had Pacquiao met the age requirements, he would have needed to go through qualifiers for the Olympics, such as the Asian Games where Eumir Felix Marcial secured a silver medal in the light heavyweight category in Hangzhou.

POC President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino expressed regret over Pacquiao’s disqualification due to age and emphasized the necessity for all athletes to go through qualifiers for Olympic participation.

James McLeod, the IOC Director for National Olympic Committee Relations, reiterated in a letter to the POC that the approved boxing qualification system for Paris 2024 includes the age limit of 40.

Additionally, Pacquiao would not qualify for Paris under the Universality rule, which restricts places for the Olympic Games from being allocated to National Olympic Committees (NOCs) with an average of more than eight athletes in individual sports/disciplines at the last two editions of the Olympic Games (Rio and Tokyo).

Despite Pacquiao’s ineligibility, the Philippines has secured qualifications for Paris in other sports, including World No. 2 pole vaulter EJ Obiena, Marcial, and artistic gymnasts Carlos Yulo and Aleah Finnegan.

Sports News: Pacquiao exceeds the age limit for Olympic boxing