High Performance
How Can I go to the Olympics?
For a Canadian Boxer to participate in the Olympics requires a number of distinct steps.
How Can I go to the Pan American Games?
For a Canadian Boxer to participate in the PanAm Games:
- Canada needs to earn a spot in the athletes weight category through earning a spot at the 2026 Continental Championships, or at the PanAmercian Games Qualifier#2.
- The athlete needs to meet criteria to win the spot following Boxing Canada's nomination criteria.
This is a very different system compared to Olympic qualification, where there is no step one - athletes qualify directly by name at international competitions.
The advantage of Canada earning spots is that Canada can, if needed, replace one boxer for another. It also allows Canada to set the standard for attending. The Olympic standard is extremely high - which serves to limit the number of boxers per nation. The PanAm system allows participating nations to take any level of athlete they wish, ensuring that athletes can use the PanAm games as a learning experience.
How Can I go to the Commonwealth Games?
Note: We are waiting on information pertaining to the 2030 Commonwealth Games. Once that is received this page will be updated.
For a Canadian Boxer to participate in the Commonwealth Games:
- Commonwealth Sport Canada needs to assign Boxing Canada a number of athlete positions as part of the entire Canadian Team. Recently this has been just 6 boxers.
- The athlete needs to meet criteria to win the spot following Boxing Canada's nomination criteria
- Boxing Canada's criteria needs to select the athlete's weight category as one that will make up the limited number of athlete spots we have available.
This is a very different system compared to Olympic and Pan American Games qualification!
How can I get onto the National Team?
The simple answer is "win boxing matches and win Nationals".
The more complicated answer is that there is no "National Team". Boxing Canada names a specific list of identifies a group of athletes for a particular competition, but once that competition is over that team no longer exists.
Each year Boxing Canada identifies a list of athletes who have met specific performance criteria from whom different National Teams are chosen. This list is broken down into four categories of athletes: World Class, Podium Potential, Emerging, and National Squad. The job of every athlete is to try their best to earn a "World Class" categorization.
Every year Boxing Canada publishes the National Team Program. This document explains how to become categorized, what camps and competitions are available for National Teams, and how to be selected to those teams.
National Team Onboarding Process Checklist BIL
National Team Offboarding Process Checklist BIL
2026 National Team Program BIL
Who are the categorized athletes?
Boxing Canada celebrates athletes who have achieved prescribed performance standards on our National Athlete List. This list is further divided into categories of athlete based on their demonstrated level of performance. Athletes maintain their status on the list by achieving further performance standards.
The full athlete list is available here
Categorization criteria can change. Please consult the most current National Team Program (above) for details.
Athlete Assistance Program - Get Paid to Boxing for Canada!
The Sport Canada Athlete Assistance Program (AAP) is a federal funding initiative designed to help Canada’s top athletes train and compete at the highest levels of sport. For amateur boxers aiming to move from the provincial stage to national and international competition, the program provides monthly financial support and access to high-performance resources that reduce the financial barriers of elite training.
Through the AAP, athletes who are nominated by their national sport organization, such as Boxing Canada, can receive funding to help cover living expenses, coaching, travel to competitions, and training camps. The goal is to allow athletes to focus more fully on their development and preparation for major events, including World Championships and the Olympic Games.
For aspiring provincial and national-level boxers in Canada, the AAP represents an important milestone. Achieving carding status signals that an athlete has reached a recognized high-performance pathway and is being supported to represent Canada on the international stage. Several provinces have supplementary funding programs that can further increase the funding a AAP=supported athlete can receive. Contact your Provincial or Territorial Boxing Organization for more information.
The criteria for a particular funding period is published well in advance. In general the selection period ends and then the funding support period begins.
Sport Integrity Canada (SIC) is an independent, national organization responsible for protecting the integrity of sport in Canada. Working with national sport organizations, athletes, coaches, and sport partners, SIC delivers programs and policies that promote fair, safe, and ethical sport environments. Its work focuses on areas such as anti-doping, prevention of competition manipulation, and safe sport practices, while also providing education, compliance monitoring, and investigative services. Through these initiatives, SIC helps ensure that Canadian athletes compete on a level playing field and participate in sport environments built on respect, fairness, and accountability.
The Canadian Anti-Doping Program (CADP) is Canada’s national set of rules and procedures designed to prevent doping in sport and protect clean competition. Administered by Sport Integrity Canada, the program aligns with the global standards established by the World Anti-Doping Agency and its World Anti-Doping Code. The CADP includes athlete education, in-competition and out-of-competition drug testing, results management, and sanctions for violations. Canadian athletes competing at national and international levels are required to follow these rules, which aim to safeguard athlete health and ensure that success in sport is determined by talent, training, and dedication—not performance-enhancing substances.
National Testing Pool, education, global pro, etc…
The Anti-Competition Manipulation Program (ACMP) addresses threats such as match-fixing, illegal betting, and other forms of manipulation that can undermine the credibility of sport. Delivered by Sport Integrity Canada, the program establishes rules, reporting mechanisms, and education for athletes, coaches, officials, and sport organizations. It encourages participants to report suspicious approaches or activities and outlines clear investigative and disciplinary processes. By promoting transparency and accountability, the ACMP helps protect the authenticity of competition and public trust in Canadian sport.
The Canadian Safe Sport Program (CSSP) is a national framework that aims to create sport environments that are free from abuse, harassment, discrimination, and other forms of maltreatment. Administered by Sport Integrity Canada, the program includes a universal code of conduct, an independent reporting mechanism, and processes for investigation and resolution of complaints. It also provides education and prevention resources for athletes, coaches, and sport administrators. The CSSP helps ensure that all participants in Canadian sport can train and compete in environments that prioritize safety, respect, and well-being.
Boxing Canada has a suite of programs, policies, and strategies to support a safe sporting environment.
Boxing Canada Athlete Ratings
To better describe the different abilities of our National Team Boxers sevcral techniques are used.
World Ranking Points:
These are calculated by World Boxing according to the published rule book. World Ranking points are available at major tournaments (Olympics, Elite World Championships, World Cups, Continental Championships) and are commonly used for seeding.
ELO Rating:
The ELO system is a way to gauge the relative opportunity to predict an outcome between two athletes based on their their past performance. The benefit of ELO is that the ratings don’t require two athletes to have competed directly against each other. For more information on the ELO system, including a healthy but not incapacitating dose of math, see this video.
WSP Assessment:
The Winning Style of Play assessment tool is used by coaches to measure the quality of a performance distinct from the outcome. Here is a link to the WSP Assessment Tool.