WBA/WBO lightweight champion and WBC franchise champion Vasyl Lomachenko will represent Ukraine at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo (Japan), the press service of the Boxing Federation of Ukraine has reported.
Lomachenko, as an athlete ambassador, has joined the International Olympic Committee (IOC) boxing taskforce, which will be responsible for organizing qualification events for the Olympics and the tournament itself at the Games.
The ten honorary ambassadors also include France's Sarah Ourahmoune, China's Jianguan Hu and India's Mary Kom for the Asian region, Nigeria's Lukmo Lawal and Morocco's Khadija Mardi for Africa, Cuba's Julio Cesar La Cruz Peraza and the United States' Mikaela Mayer for the Americas, and New Zealand's David Nyika and Australia's Shelley Watts for Oceania.
"In all of the work of the boxing taskforce we want to put boxers first. We are delighted with this group of diverse and inspirational athletes who make up the athlete ambassadors, and look forward to working closely with them in all areas of our decisions and event planning to make sure the athletes are not only at the center of our work, but also actively engaged in it,"IOC member and taskforce chair Morinari Watanabe said.
The IOC said the athletes were selected following a joint nomination by the respective National Olympic Committee (NOC), NOC Athletes' Commissions and national federations. Requirements included having competed at international competitions in the past four years, being born no later than December 31, 2001 and being an amateur or professional boxer.
The Summer Olympics will be held from July 24 to August 9, and boxing competitions will take place from July 25 to August 9.