Boxing star Chelsey Heijnen from Roosendaal would like to qualify for the Olympic Games, but fears that this will not work because she cannot participate in the World Cup due to a boycott. She is quite disappointed about that, she told Omroep Brabant radio program De Zuidtribune on Sunday. In addition, boxing will no longer be an Olympic sport in 2028.
At the World Championship boxing in Istanbul last year, Chelsey Heijnen from Roosendaal managed to take a surprising bronze in the half-welterweight class. This year she wanted to equal or improve that performance at the World Cup in order to have a good starting position towards the Olympic Games.
The Netherlands has decided to boycott the World Cup. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has banned Russia and Belarus from participating in international tournaments under their own flag due to the war in Ukraine.
Because the international boxing federation allows both countries to participate in the World Cup, the Netherlands will not participate. Chelsey has a problem with that: “Politics must remain political. Of course it is terrible what is happening there. But that one boxer who does not go, they really do not lose sleep over it,” she explains.
“Whether they box under a white flag or the Russian flag, it’s still a Russian.”
The fact that she as an athlete is now the victim of the political choices is not comfortable with Chelsey. “Whether they box under a white flag or the Russian flag, it’s still a Russian.” This decision has many consequences for her personally. “Not only the prize money that I miss of course, but this also has consequences for my place in the world ranking.”
That place is important for the qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games. “The higher you are in the world ranking, the better your draw for the qualifying tournament.” By missing the World Cup, Heijnen drops out of the top ten anyway.