The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has delivered a significant blow to Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao by denying his request to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics due to age restrictions.

The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) disclosed the IOC’s decision on Sunday, revealing that Pacquiao’s bid to participate in the Summer Games has been rejected on the grounds of his age. At 45 years old, Pacquiao exceeds the age limit set by the IOC, which stipulates that athletes must be no older than 40 to compete in the Olympics.

POC President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino expressed disappointment over the decision, emphasizing that Pacquiao’s disqualification underscores the stringent regulations governing Olympic participation. Tolentino stated, “Too bad our beloved boxing icon is disqualified because of his age and that everyone needs to go through qualifiers, in all sports, to be able to participate in Paris.”

The formal letter from the IOC, addressed to the POC, was signed by James Macleod, IOC Director for National Olympic Committee Relations. Macleod reiterated that the qualification system for the Paris Games, which includes the age limit of 40, had been disseminated to various national Olympic committees (NOCs) and boxing federations.

Furthermore, the IOC clarified that Pacquiao cannot secure a spot in the Olympics through the Universality rule, which typically offers slots to national athletes who did not qualify through standard qualifiers. According to Macleod, under the Universality rule, NOCs that have consistently fielded more than eight athletes in individual sports or disciplines in the last two Olympic editions (Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020) will not be eligible for Universality places.