AIBA World Boxing Championship in Chicago
In what many are calling a test to see how Chicago can handle an international event in their pursuit for an Olympic bid, Chicago will be hosting the AIBA World Boxing Championship starting next week.
The event, which runs from October 23rd through November 3rd, will take place at the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) pavilion. The championship is a qualifier for the the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing, China.
An astounding 700 boxers from 120 countries are expected to compete in the eleven day event, including such notable athletes as Rau’shee Warren, Gary Russell, Jr., gold medalists Manus Boomjumnong of Thailand and Alexey Tishchenko of Russia.
In preparation for the event, the city will be hosting an Opening Ceremony Athlete Procession on Monday, October 22nd, beginning at the Palmer House Hilton, traveling north on State Street and ending at the Chicago Theatre. The event kicks off at 4:00 p.m. and is expected to last an hour.
While I am sure that Mayor Daley will be quick to praise the city if the event goes off well, I am not sure if I believe that it will really be a “test-run” to see if Chicago can handle the Olympics. This is only one sport and only one venue. Additionally, although there are a lot of boxing fans, I cannot imagine that the city is going to be invaded by hordes of tourists to see the event the way it would with the Olympic games. Even the amount of media for an event like this is going to be on a small-scale compared to the Olympics.
If you want to check out the event, tickets appear to rather affordable, starting at $10 for the early rounds and as cheap as $25 for the finals. For more information, visit the official site here.
Chicago, AIBA, World Boxing Championship, Olympics, boxing
October 23rd, 2007 at 12:59 pm
[...] this talk has come as a result of the IBA World Boxing Championship getting underway in Chicago. I posted previously that I did not believe that this event, although an event of international stature, would really [...]
October 26th, 2007 at 1:25 pm
[...] According to the Chicago Sun-Times, three international boxers, in Chicago this week for the AIBA boxing championships, have [...]