The opening of the Pan American Games in Santiago (Chile) will be held this Friday (20), but some competitions are already underway. One of them is boxing. On Thursday (19), the first Brazilian entered the ring and emerged victorious. Luiz Gabriel Oliveira, known as Bolinha, beat Canadian Victor Tremblay in the featherweight category (up to 57 kg) and advanced to the next phase, where he will face Uruguayan Lucas Alexander Fernandez Garcia, on a date to be defined. Brazil's baseball debut also takes place this Thursday (19), at 3 pm (Brasília time), against the Venezuelan team. Brazil's Olympic Channel will broadcast the Pan American Games live.
Bolinha's victory and the Pan-American Games are vitally important for the boxer's qualification for the Paris Olympics in 2024. The competition offers two direct places for next year's event. In other words, Bolinha needs two more victories to guarantee his presence in France.
In total, there are 13 boxing categories in Santiago, including women's and men's. Eleven of these categories will classify the finalists, while the other two (up to 57 kg and up to 60 kg, both for women) will classify the four best athletes, totaling 30 places at stake for Paris.
Brazil in search of records and Olympic places
The Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) took the largest delegation in the country's history to international events, with 621 athletes (342 men and 279 women). Before the opening ceremony, only baseball, boxing and diving will have started competitions. From Saturday (21), another 54 modalities will begin to define not only the champions, but also those classified for Paris.
In total, 21 sports, including boxing, will give direct places to the 2024 Games, while another twelve will count points towards the classification rankings. To date, Brazil already has 105 confirmed places for the next Olympics.
Furthermore, the country seeks to surpass its performance at the Pan American Games in Lima, in 2019, where it achieved its best position in history, coming in second place, behind only the United States. On that occasion, Brazil won records for gold medals (54) and podiums (169).
