Boxing: Four Algerian boxers were excluded from reaching the Olympics

Four Algerian boxers were eliminated out of five participating in the qualifying tournament for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which are hosted by the city of Busto Arzesio in the Lombardy region, northern Italy.

The competition will witness the participation of 400 male and female boxers, 233 female boxers, spread across 115 countries.

The first representative of the national flag, boxer Fatima Al-Zahraa Hajala, left the tournament early, after being honorably defeated in a 54-kg fight.

Hajala lost to her Azerbaijani counterpart, Rahimova Zeinab, in the round of 32, with a score of 4-1.

While the male duo, Maoush Hisham (weight 57 kg), and Homari Muhammad (weight 80 kg) fell with a full score (5-0) on the third day of competition.

Maoush was defeated by Irish boxer Jude Gallagher, while the runner-up to the last African champion in Cameroon, Mohamed Houmari, was eliminated by Polish Pierzynski Rafal.

Unfortunately, the same scenario was repeated with the third and last Algerian boxer in the tournament, Islam Yaich, who was unable to overcome the Uzbek Muydinkhojayev Assad Khoja, and lost with a score of 5-0.

Algerian hopes remain pinned on boxer Salmouni Shahira, who will enter the 57 kg competition in the 16th round, Thursday, starting at 12 noon, where she will face Dutch Maude van der Toorn.

It is noteworthy that Algeria has guaranteed the presence of five boxers in the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, scheduled to start next July.

The two female boxers, Roumisa Boualem, in the 50 kg weight and Iman Khalif in the 66 kg weight, qualified directly after achieving first place in the African Olympic qualifying tournament in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, last September.

Hajila Khalif joined them in the 60 kg category, although she was satisfied with second place in the same tournament, as required by female competitors.

Jugurtha Ait Beqa, in the 63 kg weight category, and Mourad Kadi, in the 92 kg weight category, succeeded in obtaining their male visas after winning two gold medals in the same tournament.