North Africa still rules, Algeria reignsAlgeria led the way, with their boxers grabbing seven of the 18 Olympic quotas on offer, with fighters from Egypt (3), Morocco (3), and Tunisia (2) sharing eight spots. Besides Nigeria with three, no other West African pugilist will box in Paris as it currently stands, including Ghana, a nation that has found great success in international boxing previously. Another region that could be noticeably absent is the Eastern bloc led by Kenyans, a country that has consistently qualified boxers for the Olympics since Beijing 2008. South Africans also returned to the qualifiers after skipping Tokyo, and though they showed grit and heart, led by the 63.5kg semi-finalist, John Paul Masamba, they were still a far cry from the African nation with the most boxing Olympics medals. Also missing from the quota listing is Cameroon, who have always sent boxers to the Olympics since Moscow 1980.

Source: The North Africa Journal September 16, 2023 16:54 UTC