Congratulations to Benoit Gaudet and Jean Pascal of the Federation Quebecoise de Boxe Olympique, on their selection to the Canadian Olympic Boxing Team!
Confirmed this morning to Boxing Ontario, the Montreal boxers were admitted to the team after an arbitrator reversed the decision of the Canadian Olympic Committee to exclude three Canadian boxers who had met the international standard at the third Olympic qualifying tournament. The third boxer in the equation, Trevor Stewardson, formerly of Thunder Bay who now boxes in Western Canada, has not been confirmed for the Olympics.
To date Boxing Canada has received no explanation or report on the arbitration results or why Stewardson was not included. Boxing Canada has been requesting that the COC send all three boxers since they met the criteria in Rio in April, but according to the COC the final qualifying tournament was not included in the selection guidelines that they and Boxing Canada signed off on in February 2003.
Gaudet (57kg) and Pascal (75kg) will now join Andrew Kooner (54kg) and Adam Trupish (69kg) on the Canadian National Boxing Team. Kooner and Trupish, both of the Windsor Amateur Boxing Club, qualified earlier this year. They will depart for Athens at the beginning of August.
