‘We’ve put the process of selection back in to the hands of the boxers.”
So says High Performance Director Jon Mackey, who is talking through the selection process through which senior Elite boxers join High Performance and are selected to international teams to box for Ireland.
The Boxing Ireland selection process was revised, following extensive review, in December 2025 and now operates on a ranking points system.
Selection, he says, is “an important part of the athlete career, the anthlete journey….It’s a delicate and sensitive time”
Jon adds that the selection policy uses objective performance outcomes to determine what the (HP) team will look like, begining with the 2026 National Elite Championships in January and continuing to benchmarking in international competition.
The 2026 Senior Elite Selection Policy, approved by the Board of Directors and shared with all athletes on the opening of entries to the 2026 National Elite Championships in December 2025, is available here