JOE WARD FACES an anxious wait to see if his dramatic 11th-hour appeal for a place at the Olympic Games has been successful.
The Moate boxer appeared in front of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) at a special sitting in London last night to argue for a place in the men’s light-heavyweight tournament at London 2012.
A decision on Ward’s case is expected around lunchtime this afternoon.
The 19-year-old’s Olympic dream came to a controversial end in Trabzon, Turkey in April when he was beaten in the London qualifiers by home fighter Bahram Muzaffer.
The Irish Amateur Boxing Association (IABA) immediately contested that decision on the grounds that the fight had been scored unfairly but were not successful, nor did they have any luck with their efforts to parachute Ward into the tournament as a wildcard.
Speaking to reporters in London last night, Olympic Council of Ireland President Pat Hickey revealed that Ward made this latest appeal independently of both the OCI and the IABA.
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