Kellie Harrington scathing in criticism of IABA

Olympic gold medallist Kellie Harrington didn't pull any punches in her assessment of the latest controversy to engulf Irish boxing, describing the circumstances that led to Bernard Dunne tendering his resignation as the Irish Athletic Boxing Association's high performance director as a "sh**show".

Dunne lodged a complaint against two IABA volunteers last October after an unsigned SWOT analysis, which was critical of his performance, was circulated at board level prior to the Tokyo Games.

The fallout from the episode eventually led to Dunne’s acrimonious departure at the start of this month.

The former super bantamweight world champion allegedly also had to deal with a militant cohort within the AIBA, who want a say in how and who represent Ireland on the international stage.

While Irish amateur boxers have a rich tradition as podium performers, the beleaguered governing body continues to perform at a less-than-stellar level, and Harrington remains firmly in the Dunne corner.

"I’ve no idea what’s going on," the Dublin woman said, when asked on the latest developments within the IABA.

"I just know that it’s a sh**show at the moment and it’s been like that for a number of years.

"Something keeps happening all the time. It needs to be sorted out because the only people missing out are the boxers.

"Secretly, in my head, I’m hoping that it gets sorted out and that Bernard will take his job back, but I think that’s probably not going to happen, but that’s what I would love to happen.

"I’ve spoken to Bernard and said to him, 'I’d love you to be back and to be looking after us’, even to get us through the qualifiers and then get us through Paris (Olympic Games).

"But I've also said to him, 'listen, your health is your wealth, this is just