The central council of the Irish Boxing Association will decide tomorrow if a young boxer can take part in next week’s European Youth Boxing Championships.
Boxer Michael O'Reilly (18) brought High Court proceedings arising out of a decision to omit him from the Irish panel due to take part in the Championships following an alleged breach of discipline at a training camp.
The boxer also asked the court to order a box-off between him and another boxer Christy Joyce for the right to represent Ireland in the championship's 69kg division. The association opposed the application.
In his ruling today, Mr Justice John Cooke said Mr O'Reilly was entitled to injunctions, pending the full hearing of the action, preventing the association from confirming the decision to drop him from the panel.
The association's central council must also disregard the decision when it meets on Saturday to finalise the team, he ruled.
However, the Judge was not prepared to order a box-off between Mr O'Reilly and Mr Joyce. It was not a matter for the courts to make selections for sports teams and it was regrettable the matter could not have been mediated internally, he added.
The Judge noted that the final selection for all international boxing teams must be ratified by the association's central council. It was now up to that Council to decide which boxers to pick for the championships.
The Judge added the council was free to consider any matter it deemed relevant before making a final decision as to who it selects.
The Central Council will meet tomorrow morning in order to ratify team selection for the Championships that will take place at Citywest Dublin between August 22nd and 28th next. It is understood a decision should be made sometime during the day.
Mr O'Reilly, of the Portlaoise Boxing Club, sought an injunction preventing the association from "deselecting" him from the squad on the grounds that he had been denied natural justice.
Michael Conlon BL for the boxer said his client was a young married man who was earlier this month attending a training camp when he allowed a 17-year-old unlicensed, uninsured fellow competitor to park his van in the underground car park.
Counsel said there was a minor crash which had caused some damage to Mr O'Reilly's van. Mr O'Reilly left the camp to drive to Portlaoise to obtain an estimate for the repair of his van but returned for training later that evening.
Mr O'Reilly claimed he had permission from his coach to leave. Later he had learned his name had not been put before the officer board by international youth coach Billy McLean for selection on the Irish team and that Joyce, a boxer he had recently beaten, was selected instead.
Opposing the application Edward Farrelly Bl for the IABA said it was "within the coach's discretion" to omit Mr O'Reilly from the squad. Counsel said it was the IABA's case that Mr O'Reilly did not have permission to leave the training camp.
Counsel said that Mr O'Reilly failed to adhere to the strict conditions expected of him, and Mr McLean was entitled not to select him. Counsel who said Mr O'Reilly was not entitled to any order he sought added that it was "inconceivable" that every decision made by a coach in an amateur organisation such the IABA could end coming before the courts.