Four-time AIBA
World Women's lightweight champion Katie Taylor has been selected to be
Ireland's flag bearer at the Opening Ceremony for the 2012 Olympic Games
in London.
The Olympic Council of Ireland confirmed this afternoon
that the two-time AIBA World female boxer of the year will carry the Irish
tricolour in front of Team Ireland on Friday night
next.
Taylor,26, is the third Irish boxer to be chosen as a
flag bearer for Team Ireland at the Olympics.
Wayne McCullough,
who won silver at the 1992 Barcelona Games, carried the Irish flag at the
1988 Games in Seoul and Francis Barrett was the Irish tricolour
bearer at the 1996 Olympiad in Atlanta.
Tommy Murphy, the President
of the Irish Amateur Boxing Association, said that it was another proud
moment for Ireland's most successful Olympic sport.
"It's a great
honour for Irish amateur boxing and we are absolutely delighted that Katie
has been chosen to be the flag bearer for Ireland for the opening ceremony
for the London Olympics, he said.
"She is the first female boxer to
represent this country at the Olympic Games and it is a good choice. Katie
is a fantastic ambassador for our sport and her record in international
competition speaks for itself."
Women's boxing will make its historic Olympic debut in
London in three weight-categories - flyweight, lightweight and
middleweight.
Irish 2012
Olympic squad
49Kg
(Light-flyweight) Paddy Barnes (Holy Family BC, Belfast)
52kg (Flyweight)
Michael Conlan (St John Bosco BC, Belfast)
56kg
(Bantamweight) John Joe Nevin (Cavan BC)
60kg (Lghtweight)
Katie Taylor (Bray BC, Wicklow)
69kg
(Welterweight) Adam Nolan (Bray BC, Wicklow)
75kg
(Middleweight) Darren O’Neill (Paulstown BC, Kilkenny)
Team Manager: Des
Donnelly
Coaches: Billy
Walsh, Zuar Antia, Pete Taylor
Physio: Conor
McCarthy
Strength &
Conditioning: John Cleary
Performance
Psychologist: Gerry Hussey
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