It was confirmed yesterday that Louth native Amy Broadhurst would be given the opportunity to qualify for the Olympics as part of the Great Britain team, although it seems that some in British boxing circles are not all that happy with the decision.
A former world and European champion in the colours of Ireland, the 27-year old made the decision to switch her international allegiances in recent weeks after being overlooked for Olympic qualification events by the Irish Amateur Boxing Association (IABA).
Broadhurst missed out on the chance to qualify for the games in Paris after losing out in the national finals to Grainne Walsh, who would go on to controversially miss out on a spot in the games after falling short in a qualifying event in Italy.
There would be one more opportunity for fighters to qualify for the Olympics, and considering Broadhurst's track record in international competition, she felt she should have been handed a box-off in order to decide who would attend next month's event in Bangkok.
However, after she was not selected by the IABA, she opted to switch her allegiances to Great Britain. She qualifies for the country via her English-born father. She will now attempt to qualify at 60kg (welterweight) for the games in Paris.
While it is a big opportunity for Broadhurst, it seems some of her rivals are unhappy about the way she has been fast-tracked by Team GB.
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British boxers call out inclusion of Amy Broadhurst on Team GB
Irish boxing reporter Joe O'Neill has shared some social media stories from British fighters Shona Whitwell and Gemma Richardson, both of whom have missed out on a shot at the Olympics due to the inclusion of Amy Broadhurst for next month's qualifying event.
Whitwell and Richardson were seen as the frontrunners for the position prior to the Irishwoman's switch and are unhappy at being overlooked in favour of someone who has only just made themselves eligible for selection.
Richardson pointed out Broadhurst's recent lack of activity at international level as one reason why the decision was unfair.
Shona Whitwell would go even further on her Instagram page.
She would rather outlandishly label the decision as 'corruption', going on to suggest the move was an unfair one to local British fighters.
What a sad day for us ENGLISH girls who graft for YEARS for our spot.
The decision has clearly caused a stir in British boxing circles, although that is unlikely to concern Amy Broadhurst.
Despite having won gold at world and European level in the past, she is yet to fight at the Olympic games. She clearly feels that she needs to do everything to get to Paris this summer, even if it means wearing unfamiliar international colours.
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