in Helsinki 13.-16. The amateur boxing GeeBee tournament organized in April is exceptionally popular due to the international situation. In the tournament organized by the Finnish Workers’ Sports Association, 146 athletes from 16 different countries will be seen at the Helsinki Sports Hall.
In the background is the Russian president of the International Boxing Association (IBA). Umar Kremlevin announced the decision to allow Russian and Belarusian teams to participate in the World Cup competitions with their official national symbols. The decision also allowed Russian and Belarusian officials to return to competition activities, causing widespread boycotts of competitions.
The Finnish Boxing Federation is part of the international front, which aims to demonstrate its position towards Russia’s military actions through its own activities. According to the federation’s current policy, Finnish athletes are not sent to competitions where Russians or Belarusians are represented.
If a Finnish athlete had to face a Russian or Belorussian opponent in competitions, a submission victory would be given without getting into the ring. Executive Director of the Boxing Association Marko Laine admits that the situation is difficult from a sporting point of view and hopes that things will be resolved as quickly as possible.
– The Boxing Federation condemns Russia’s war of aggression and our aim is to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competitions. Our line is restrained, and the Finnish Boxing Association does not officially boycott any competition events. However, on a practical level, we do not participate in events where there are representatives of the countries in question, assures Laine.
Solidarity towards the situation in Ukraine is reflected in the decision of numerous sports federations to boycott this year’s World Championships. Of the non-European countries, only the United States, Canada and Argentina did not participate in the women’s World Cup held in New Delhi in March.
As the soon-to-be-started Olympic qualifiers approach, the Ukrainian athletes are in by far the most difficult situation. The support of the Finnish Boxing Federation has made it possible for Ukrainians to participate in the camp organized at Pajulahti Sports College and the international tournament in Helsinki.
Those who participated in the camp and in the Gee Bee tournament will play against Ukraine Anastasia Kovalchuk and Anastasia Chernokolenko tell you what kind of starting point they come from and what they think about this prevailing situation.
Anastasiia Kovalchuk is the reigning European champion in the 54-kilogram division and comes from the city of Uman, central Ukraine.
– I train in the basement in my hometown because it’s the safest place to train. Camps are organized in the mountains of Ukraine, there is less shooting, says Kovalchuk.
Kovalchuk says he is happy to have come to train in Finland. He praises the GeeBee tournament as a tough one.
– In the boxing ring, I always focus on the opponent, but I do not accept competing with representatives of countries that invaded my homeland, brought war, suffering and death, as an athlete, and not as a person, says Kovalchuk decisively.
Anastasia Chernokolenko competes in the 75 kg category, her home town is Dnipro, which is located south of Kyiv.
– I focus on my own work, but my thoughts are on my friends who are defending our country on the front against the enemy. I try to do my best so that my friends on the front can be happy and believe that life will still continue normally in Ukraine.
The only athletes supported by the Olympic Committee in Finnish women’s boxing Vilma Viitanen21, and Pihla Kaivo-oja20, applied for international match experience at the preparatory camp.
In addition to the Finnish national team, the Ukrainian, Estonian and Latvian teams were at the camp. Despite the sportingly difficult situation, Viitanen and Kaivo-oja go to the GeeBee tournament and the upcoming Olympic qualifiers with confidence.
This year’s Nordic champion of the women’s 50 kg category, Pihla Kaivo-oja, will defend last year’s victory in the tournament. Kaivo-oja says that more has been invested in the match attitude.
– I’m going to fight with a good and cheeky attitude to win the tournament. Attitude, technique and hardness of punches have now been practiced a lot.
– Without this kind of world situation, I would of course have wanted to participate in the World Championships, but fortunately the coaches made a new plan, thanks to which the preparation for the competitions has gone well. It’s sad when sports and political matters mix, but you have to act correctly and according to guidelines, says Kaivo-oja.
Vilma Viitanen, who opens her competition season in Helsinki this weekend, is looking forward to a tough tournament in the 57-kilogram category, and is not upset about the missed World Cup competitions. Viitasen has gold and silver from previous years’ GeeBee tournament. Now he wants the taste of gold back.
Viitanen is happy about the Finnish Boxing Association’s support for the Ukrainians.
– Ukraine is a tough boxing country, so we all benefit from joint training and competitions. Regarding the World Cup, I fully understood the decision not to go and I myself am behind the same decision. Competitions come and go, but now it’s about something bigger than sports. Everyone has to show that the war is not right and that we support the Ukrainians, Viitanen reflects.
A very exceptional situation in the midst of boycotts substantially raises the importance of the GeeBee tournament. In addition to the screens, the tournament offers athletes aiming for the Olympics a hard-level match experience and the opportunity to compare their own level internationally.
In boxing, the first and this year’s only continental spots for the Paris Olympics are available from 23 June to 2 July. In the European Games organized in Krakow, Poland.
The confused situation of the International Boxing Federation is well illustrated by the fact that boxing is the only Olympic sport in which the International Olympic Committee has prescribed a qualification system for the Paris Olympics. For all other sports, the international sports federations are still responsible for the qualification systems.