The International Olympic Committee has decided against altering its regulations to allow boxing legend Manny Pacquiao to participate in the Paris Olympics. The main reason was Pacquiao already being five years over the age limit. The 45-year-old retired from professional boxing in 2021. He has since expressed his desire to compete at the Olympics scheduled to take place in Paris this year.

The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) had even submitted a ‘special request’ in an effort to enable boxing legend Manny Pacquiao to compete. They sent a letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to inquire about the possibility of allowing the only eight-weight division world champion in the history of the sport to participate. As it turns out, the committee was not too keen on it.

Universality Rule could not help Manny Pacquiao

James McLeod, IOC director for National Olympic Committee Relations, responded to the POC request. “The only valid boxing qualification system for Paris 2024 is the one approved by the IOC Executive Board in September 2022 published and distributed to NOCs and boxing national federations on 6 December 2022. This includes the age limit of 40,” McLeod stated in his letter. They also addressed Pacquiao’s potential qualification for the Olympics under the Universality rule, but dismissed that option too.

The Universality rule exception cannot be applied to National Olympic committees (NOCs) with an average of more than eight athletes in individual sports/disciplines at the last two editions of the Games, cited the IOC. The Philippines had an average of 16 athletes in the last two Olympiads. They had sent 13 to the 2016 Rio Games and 19 to the 2020 Tokyo Games.

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The president of the International Olympic Committee, Abraham Tolentino, in a statement, expressed his sadness at not being able to allow Pacquiao to compete in the Olympics this year. “Too bad our beloved boxing icon is disqualified because of his age and that everyone needs to go through qualifiers, in all sports, to be able to participate in Paris,” said Tolentino in his statement.

In 2013, the age limit for Olympic boxing was increased from 34 to 40, potentially allowing Pacquiao to participate in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. However, he opted not to pursue this opportunity at the time, as he was concurrently elected as a senator in his home country. While the Olympic dream may have sailed away, Pacquiao might just take on another challenge.

Possible opponents for ‘PacMan’

Former sparring partner Amir Khan has thrown down the gauntlet, challenging the legend for a fight. Khan, a British boxer, expressed his eagerness for a showdown with PacMan. He had trained with Pacquiao at Freddie Roach’s Wildcard gym. Despite both being in the Welterweight division, they never faced off in the ring.

Watch This Story: 5 Eye-Opening Facts About Manny Pacquiao

Not long ago, Bob Arum had suggested that Manny Pacquiao could face a potential opponent in former super lightweight champion Josh Taylor. Talking about his possible return to the professional ring in 2024, Arum put forth the name of Taylor, as an opponent that PacMan could face before hanging up his gloves. Even Gervonta “Tank” Davis was suggested as an opponent by Pacquiao’s team for a possible catchweight bout sometime this year.

What do you think about the IOC denying Manny Pacquiao from competing in the Olympics? Let us know in the comments below.

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