AIBA votes to allow professionals to compete at Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro

The International Boxing Association has announced that professional boxers will be eligible to compete at the Olympic Games later this year.

The potential change in qualification rules had been heavily criticised by those within the sport but the AIBA has confirmed that competitors in the paid ranks will now be able to feature in Rio de Janeiro.

The AIBA says that 84 of the 88 member federations that took part in the vote called for current world champions to be given the opportunity to try to qualify for the Games which will be staged in Brazil in August.

The move now means that the likes of Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, James DeGale and each of Great Britain's other 10 world champions are effectively free to try to compete at a qualification event being staged in Venezuela next month.

However, promoter Eddie Hearn has indicated that there is little chance of any British professionals taking advantage of the opportunity.

Pro boxers in the Olympics only relevant to countries where their governments will effectively pay them to take part - definitely not us! 🇬🇧

— Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) June 1, 2016

Great Britain won five medals in the boxing events staged at London 2012.