Norcalboxing.net
Norcalboxing.net has been informed by San Jose PAL's Candy Lopez that he will no longer be heading to the 2012 London Olympics as an assistant coach for Team USA. Although he was named to the staff on Wednesday, clerical issues will leave him sidelined for the Games.
“I was told by USA Boxing that I am not eligible because AIBA told them I am not qualified to get credentials for the Olympics," said Lopez, the longtime San Jose PAL head coach. "AIBA has coaching levels does like USA Boxing does, but I guess for this event, you needed to be credentialed through AIBA, and due to the limited time we had, I’m guessing they didn’t have time to check whether or not I would be eligible.”
With a new coaching staff selected just one month before the Games, Lopez stated that he would not have gone through the interview process on short notice if he knew he would be ineligible to make the team anyway.
“I’m obviously disappointed," he added. "I would’ve wanted to represent my country. USA Boxing should have been more upfront as far as the criteria needed, and if they didn’t know that, it was a big mistake on the administration’s part. Nevertheless, I wish the USA Boxing team the best of luck.”
Lopez was an assistant on the 2000 team that won four medals in Sydney.
Norcalboxing.net's Ryan Maquiñana is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and Ring Magazine’s Ratings Panel. E-mail him at rmaquinana@gmail.com, check out his weekly column for Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, his archive for BoxingScene.com, or follow him on Twitter: @RMaq28.
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