Home » IOC denies Manny Pacquiao from competing in Paris Olympics

IOC denies Manny Pacquiao from competing in Paris Olympics

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) denied the bid of eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao to compete in the Paris Olympics.

Pacquiao’s Olympics bid denied

The Philippine Olympic Committee wrote an appeal to exempt Pacquiao, 45, from the 40-year-old age limit for boxers.

However, the IOC sent an official letter denying the request for Pacquiao’s exemption.

“The only valid boxing qualification system for Paris 2024 is the one approved by the IOC Executive Board in September 2022 published and distributed to NOCs and boxing national federations on 6 December 2022,” the IOC said in a statement.

POC attempted a “universality” entry for Pacquiao, but IOC also did not grant the Philippines’ request.

“Universality places are not allocated to [teams] with an average of more than eight athletes in individual sports/disciplines at the last two editions of the Olympic Games.”

“This is the case for the Philippine Olympic Committee.”

The POC expressed its disappointment over the IOC’s decision to disqualify the Filipino boxing legend from the Summer Games.

“Too bad our beloved boxing icon is disqualified because of his age and that everyone needs to go through the qualifiers, in all sports, to be able to participate in Paris,” said POC president Abraham Tolentino.

Pacquiao, who turned professional in 1995, has never competed in the Olympics.

The former senator declined an invitation to compete at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Still, Pacquiao became one of the biggest stars in boxing after winning titles from eight different weight classes. He won the flyweight, junior featherweight, featherweight, junior lightweight, lightweight, junior welterweight, welterweight, and junior middleweight titles.

Pacquiao’s fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. was one of the most anticipated bouts in boxing history. The former lost in May 2015 via unanimous decision.

“Pacman” had seven more matches before calling it a career after suffering a loss to Yordenis Ugas in August 2021.