Mary Kom included in Boxing’s Athlete Ambassadors Group by IOC

Adding to Six-time world champion MC Mary Kom’s innumerable achievements, she has been included in a 10-boxer athlete ambassadors group to represent boxers in the build-up to next year’s Tokyo Olympic Games by the International Olympic Council’s (IOC) Task Force for the sport. Mary Kom will be representing the Asian bloc in the group, which also consists the likes of Ukrainian legend Vasyl Lamachenko (Europe), a two-time world and Olympic gold-medallist who now plies his trade in the professional circuit, and 2016 Olympic gold-winner and five-time world champion Julio Cesar La Cruz (Americas) among others.

After claiming her eighth medal in world boxing championships in Russia this year, the 36-year-old Indian surpassed herself as the most successful boxer in the history of the world championships. Besides being a five-time Asian champion and a Commonwealth and Asian Games gold-medallist, she is also an Olympic bronze medallist in the 51kg category.

“One female and one male ambassador per region will take on the role of engaging with the boxing community both in person and digitally,” the IOC said in a statement.

“They will also help the Boxing Task Force take into account the athletes’ voice in all areas of its planning for the qualification events and the boxing tournament at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020,” it added.

The sport of Boxing has been in administrative turmoil after the IOC stripped the International Boxing Association (AIBA) of the rights to conduct the Olympic competition earlier this year and took complete control of even the qualifying process. The IOC asserted that AIBA failed to put its house in order as far as administrative integrity and management of finances were concerned.

In August this year, the creation of an Athlete Ambassadors Group was announced and they had to be first nominated by the respective National Olympic Committee, NOC Athletes’ Commission and the National Federation. Other requirements included being born no later than December 31, 2001, having competed at international competitions in the past four years, not having incurred any measure or sanction in relation to any violation of the Olympic Charter, the IOC Code of Ethics, and the World Anti-Doping Code and being an amateur or professional boxer.

The Athlete Ambassadors Group:

Men: Lukmo Lawal (Africa), Julio Cesar La Cruz (Americas), Jianguan Asiahu (Asia), Vasyl Lamachenko (Europe), David Nyika (Oceania).

Women: Khadija Mardi (Africa), Mikaela Mayer (Americas), MC Mary Kom (Asia), Sarah Ourahmoune (Europe), Shelley Watts (Oceania).