The International Olympic Committee will not amend its rules to allow Filipino star Manny Pacquaio to compete in boxing at the Paris Games five years over the age limit.
Pacquaio, who retired in 2021, wanted to fight at 45 at the Olympic boxing tournament in Paris in which medal bouts will be staged at the Roland Garros tennis complex.
The IOC said Sunday it wrote to the leaders of the Olympic movement in the Philippines, explaining that the 40-year-old age limit will remain the same. The IOC took over the organization of Olympic boxing after disowning the International Boxing Association as the governing body.
The age cap for Olympic boxing was raised from 34 to 40 in 2013, a decision that would have allowed Pacquaio to compete in the 2016 Rio Olympics. He decided not to do so then to run for senator in his home country.
It is not known whether Pacquaio would have tried to earn the Paris 2024 berth in one of the two qualifying tournaments to be contested later this month in Italy and in May in Thailand.
The Philippine Olympic Committee had tried to manage to receive a place under the concept of “universality” for Paris. These are places given to countries with few athletes and which have difficulty in qualifying on merit.
However, the IOC explained on Sunday that the Philippines has had too much sporting success to benefit from the method.
“Universality places are not awarded to delegations with an average of more than eight athletes in individual disciplines/sports in the last two editions of the Olympic Games,” the IOC said. “Such is the case for the Olympic Committee of the Philippines.”
Pacquaio culminated his illustrious career in the ring in September 2021, aged 42 and having fought 72 fights. He won 12 world titles in a record eight different divisions.