Gerry O’Mahony, the president of the Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA), has expressed his readiness to temporarily vacate his role as he braces for a sexual assault trial next month. This allegation dating back to sometime between 2009 and 2010, pins O’Mahony on an incident in a Co Waterford pub, The Village Inn located in Dungarvan.
Elected as the IABA president in July 2022, the charges against O’Mahony contravene Section 2 of the Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act 1990, amped up by Section 37 of the Sex Offenders Act 2001. The last hearing for the case was at Waterford Circuit Court on May 29th, where he currently stands out on bail, with his next court appearance scheduled for July 2nd before a jury.
With the Olympic Games approaching next month, O’Mahony is expected to serve as an IABA ambassador. However, in light of the forthcoming trial, he declared his willingness to part from both roles temporarily. He stated, “If that’s the best thing to do, of course I will step aside until it’s over at least.”
Concerning the charge, O’Mahony fully intends to enter a plea of not guilty at his scheduled court appearance next month.
The IABA has recently been brought to speed about these allegations, commenting, “Gerry O Mahony has volunteered to step aside from discharging the duties of the president of the IABA, pending the resolution of those matters. This includes all domestic and international functions.”
In other news, on Sunday, another four Irish boxers raised the total count to a record ten, after qualifying for the Paris Olympics at the Bangkok qualifier. The boxing tournament at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games is scheduled to run from July 28th to August 10th.