O'Reilly, First Positive Athlete Use Drugs at Rio Olympics
O'Reilly, First Positive Athlete Use Drugs at Rio Olympics
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DUBLIN - Irish boxers step in early stages of the Rio Olympics broke cause that fighter has failed a drugs test.
Michael O'Reilly, the 23 year old maverick of the Irish team has become the first athlete of these Games to be exposed as testing positive for drugs.
The middleweight from Portlaoise, who was fined £5,000 and sent home from an Olympic qualifying tournament in Turkey in May for bringing Irish boxing into disrepute was caught by a random test before flying to Rio with the rest of the team.
The Irish Amateur Boxing confirmed that O'Reilly is temporarily suspended pending a full investigation. Following his positive test he has the right to request a B-sample.
He has a week to clear his name before being struck out of the Games as his opening bout, a second round fight as he is third seed, is scheduled for next Friday.
The news was much better for Team GB. Nicola Adams, the reigning flyweight champion, and Joe Joyce, the super-heavyweight, were given plum draws.
Adams, as first seed in her division, gets a bye and needs to win only one fight to reach the semi-finals. She will not be in action until the second week of the Games and faces tough tests thereafter, including her Chinese opponent in the London final, Ren Cancan.
Londoner Joyce, by being seeded third, also faces a long wait before his second-round bout against an Ivory Coast opponent in the inviting bottom half of his draw. The only other GB seed is being mobbed in Rio because of his name.
Muhammad Ali, from Keighley not Louisville, should become better known for his own boxing at flyweight. The others in a large team of 12 qualifiers from a maximum 13 had mixed fortunes.
Light-heavyweight Lawrence Okolie, assuming he prevails against tough Pole Igor Jakubowski tomorrow, would then confront Erislandy Savon, the brilliant Cuban against whom Anthony Joshua was fortunate to be given the decision in London.
The Russians, whose entire team of 11 were cleared to fight in Rio despite their country's doping scandal, are off the GB radar for the moment.
Michael O'Reilly, the 23 year old maverick of the Irish team has become the first athlete of these Games to be exposed as testing positive for drugs.
The middleweight from Portlaoise, who was fined £5,000 and sent home from an Olympic qualifying tournament in Turkey in May for bringing Irish boxing into disrepute was caught by a random test before flying to Rio with the rest of the team.
The Irish Amateur Boxing confirmed that O'Reilly is temporarily suspended pending a full investigation. Following his positive test he has the right to request a B-sample.
He has a week to clear his name before being struck out of the Games as his opening bout, a second round fight as he is third seed, is scheduled for next Friday.
The news was much better for Team GB. Nicola Adams, the reigning flyweight champion, and Joe Joyce, the super-heavyweight, were given plum draws.
Adams, as first seed in her division, gets a bye and needs to win only one fight to reach the semi-finals. She will not be in action until the second week of the Games and faces tough tests thereafter, including her Chinese opponent in the London final, Ren Cancan.
Londoner Joyce, by being seeded third, also faces a long wait before his second-round bout against an Ivory Coast opponent in the inviting bottom half of his draw. The only other GB seed is being mobbed in Rio because of his name.
Muhammad Ali, from Keighley not Louisville, should become better known for his own boxing at flyweight. The others in a large team of 12 qualifiers from a maximum 13 had mixed fortunes.
Light-heavyweight Lawrence Okolie, assuming he prevails against tough Pole Igor Jakubowski tomorrow, would then confront Erislandy Savon, the brilliant Cuban against whom Anthony Joshua was fortunate to be given the decision in London.
The Russians, whose entire team of 11 were cleared to fight in Rio despite their country's doping scandal, are off the GB radar for the moment.
(rnz)
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