Paris 2024 Boxing Africa Qualifier: Olympian Roumaysa Boualam leads the way in Dakar
The continental qualifying event for Paris 2024 is taking place from 9 to 15 September at the Dakar Arena, with 18 Olympic spots up for grabs. From Wednesday, 13 September the competition will be streamed live on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com and the official Olympics app for mobile devices.
Boxing
The Boxing Africa Olympic Qualifier started in earnest on Saturday, 9 September with some exciting and exhilarating action taking place at the Dakar Arena.
A total of 235 boxers from 42 countries are competing in the qualification tournament as they look to secure the 18 Paris 2024 quotas up for grabs (11 for women and seven for men).
The day began with a bout featuring the best women’s lightweight in Africa, Roumaysa Boualam, who powered through the round of 32 of the women’s 50kg of what she hopes will be a busy tournament for her in Senegal.
Algeria’s first female boxer at the Olympics commanded the bout against Ethiopia’s Gezahegn Gayiza, scoring a unanimous win.
“The first fight is always difficult because we're just gauging how the event will be. It looked easy, but my opponent wasn't easy. The level of female boxing has now improved a lot,” Boualam told Olympics.com after her opener. “But I am ready to book the ticket for Paris as I want to fly the Algerian flag on the Olympic podium this time."
Morocco’s Yasmine Moutaqui, the silver medallist at the 2019 All Africa Games in Rabat where Boualam took gold, also easily overcame her Mozambican opponent Helena Bagao in the 50kg**.**
The men’s 71kg delivered some of the closest contests of the opening day, with South African champion Simnikiwe Bongco winning by a split decision of 3:2 in his round of 64 bout against Mauritius’ Clair Merven.
Seychellois Barnsley Boniface also scored a close victory against Ivorian Sekou Doumbia, while Egyptian Orabi Abdegawwad’s tactical approach earned him a victory by a 4:1 split decision against Tunisia’s Youssef Rafrafi.
A few minutes earlier, Abdegawwad’s compatriot Elawad Omar Elawady had delivered the first knockout of the tournament that floored Algeria’s Isalam Yaiche in the second round of another 71kg fight.
Kenya’s Boniface Maina returned to the Arena where his last Olympic qualifying contest in 2020 had to be stopped by the referee to upset Rio 2016 bronze medallist Mohammed Rabii of Morocco with a knockout win in the second round of their 71kg contest.
In the men’s 80kg, Senegalese Mouhamed Konate thrilled local fans with some heavy punches to score a unanimous victory against Ghana’s favourite Seth Gyimah aka Freezy MacBones.
Elsayed Ragab Elawady of Egypt (in blue) in action against Algeria's Islam Yaiche in the Boxing Road to Paris qualification tournament in Dakar.
Sudanese lone boxer Suliman Abdalla's emotional debut in Dakar
There was a rousing end to the morning session in the 92kg combat pitting Mali’s Maxime Coulibaly and Sudan’s lone boxer in Dakar, Suliman Abdalla.
Coulibaly convincingly overpowered the North African, who was supported by a cocktail of coaches across the participating teams. The Sudanese travelled and represented his nation despite his training being severely affected by the ongoing armed conflict.
“Many people have been preparing for the qualifiers for a long time, but I didn’t have the chance to train back home. The situation has been very bad in Darfur,” said Abdalla who hails from El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur in Sudan, where fighting has intensified between the two warring forces for months.
It is the first time Abdalla is competing at an event of this magnitude.
“It’s been very difficult," he said of travelling to Senegal. "The situation is very bad back home, but I wanted to come and show what I can do.”
Suliman Abdalla competes against Malian Maxime Coulibaly in the men's 80kg at the Boxing Road to Paris qualification tournament in Dakar.
Promising victories for hosts Senegal
The main highlight of the evening session was the enticing see-saw battle between neighbouring boxers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Idriss Kitangila, and Tanzanian Salumu Mwalami.
They both attacked effectively and seemed to be at par, but the explosive bout ended in a split 3:2 decision for Kitangila
Powerful punchers Malian Karim Bathily and Ahmed Mohamed Kelany from Egypt also went head-to-head in another men’s 57kg fight. But it was the West African who swayed most of the judges, winning by another split 3:2 decision.
Senegal ended the day with a third boxer, Abdourahmane Ndiaye celebrating his win over Cape Verde’s Elisandro Sanches in the 57kg, promising results for the host coach Bole Guey seeking to qualify the nation's first boxer since Sydney 2000.
Ghana's Black Bombers rebounded with two clear victories for Abdul Wahib Omar, who is back in Dakar after missing Tokyo 2020 qualification three years ago, and Kpakpo Allotey.
Omar made his intentions clear with a comfortable victory over South Africa’s Amzolele Dyeyi in the 57kg, as Allotey registered a split decision of 4:1 against Ethiopian Tumay Nigus also in the same weight class.
Paris 2024 Boxing Africa Qualifier in Dakar - full schedule
Sunday 10 September
- Women's 50kg round of 32
- Women's 54kg round of 32 & 16
- Men's 63.5kg round of 32
- Men's 71kg round of 32 &6
- Men's 80kg round of 32 & 16
Monday 11 September
- Men's 63.5kg round of 32
- Men's 92kg round of 16
- Women's 57kg round of 16
- Women's 66kg round of 16
- Men's 51kg round of 16
- Men's 57kg round of 32
- Men's 63.5kg round of 16
- Men's 92kg round of 32
Tuesday 12 September
- Rest day
Wednesday 13 September
- Women's 50kg round of 16
- Women's 54kg quarter-finals
- Women's 60kg quarter-finals
- Women's 75kg quarter-finals
- Men's 57kg quarter-finals
- Men's 71kg quarter-finals
- Men's 92kg quarter-finals
- Men's +92kg quarter-finals
- Women's 50kg quarter-finals
- Women's 57kg quarter-finals
- Women's 66kg quarter-finals
- Men's 51kg quarter-finals
- Men's 63.5kg quarter-finals
- Men's 80kg quarter-finals
Thursday 14 September
- Women's 54kg semi-finals (to decide two Paris 2024 quota spots)
- Women's 60kg semi-finals (to decide two Paris 2024 quota spots)
- Women's 75kg semi-finals
- Men's 57kg semi-finals
- Men's 71kg semi-finals
- Men's 92kg semi-finals
- Men's +92kg semi-finals
- Women's 50kg semi-finals (to decide two Paris 2024 quota spots)
- Women's 57kg semi-finals (to decide two Paris 2024 quota spots)
- Women's 66kg semi-finals (to decide two Paris 2024 quota spots)
- Men's 51kg semi-finals
- Men's 63.5kg semi-finals
- Men's 80kg semi-finals
Friday 15 September
- Women's 54kg final
- Women's 60kg final
- Women's 75kg final (to decide Paris 2024 quota spot)
- Men's 57kg final (to decide Paris 2024 quota spot)
- Men's 71kg final (to decide Paris 2024 quota spot)
- Men's 92kg final (to decide Paris 2024 quota spot)
- Men's +92kg final (to decide Paris 2024 quota spot)
- Women's 50kg final
- Women's 57kg final
- Women's 66kg final
- Men's 51kg final (to decide Paris 2024 quota spot)
- Men's 63.5kg final (to decide Paris 2024 quota spot)
- Men's 80kg final (to decide Paris 2024 quota spot)
How to watch the Paris 2024 Boxing Africa Qualifier in Dakar
All the action from the quarter-finals onwards - from Wednesday, 13 September - will be streamed live on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com and the official Olympics app for mobile devices.