IRISH BOXER JOE Ward’s appeal for a place in the Olympic Games has been rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Ward was controversially defeated by Turkey’s Bahram Muzaffer in the final Olympic qualifier last April, despite many onlookers claiming the Irishman had done enough to win the fight.
Ward consequently made a last-minute bid for a wildcard entry into the Olympics, which was subsequently denied by the AIBA, and the decision was then unsuccessfully appealed this evening.
Ward is the highest ranked European fighter not to make it to the Olympics, with Montenegro’s Bosco Draskovich being selected ahead of him.