Sideline Sid Sports correspondent & historian www.sunlive.co.nz

Sideline Sid stumbled on a simply brilliant sporting media platform, when he went searching online for results of the Asia/Oceania Olympic boxing qualification being held in Amman, Jordan.

Simply called the Olympic Channel, the multi-media platform is currently firmly focused on the journey of the Asia and Oceania boxers, as they attempt to grab a place at the Tokyo Olympics. With over 200 men and women boxers chasing just 63 Olympic spots, there is plenty of high drama on show.

The Olympic Channel first streamed the Rio Olympics closing ceremony. Olympic president Thomas Bach opened the Olympic channel saying "this is the start of an exciting new journey to connect the world-wide audience with the Olympic movement all-year round".

The more cynical could say the Olympic Channel is an attempt to grab more money from sponsors and broadcasters, through increased media exposure.

Not withstanding the reasons for establishing the channel - the Olympic media platform, turns the previous tasks of ferreting out pre-Olympic qualification information into an easy-to-find information site.

The Olympic boxing platform, starts with an overview of the qualification process moving through to the draws and results. The streaming service covers live action of every bout alongside the replays and daily interviews and wraps of the action.

For someone like this writer, who is conveying information to the New Zealand media, the daily blog is a goldmine. The well informed blog writer covers each bout as it happens, with a paragraph devoted to each round and a summary of the fight.

Not afraid to mince words, the blog writer gives praise where it's due and offers criticism where he feels it is warranted.

Olympic boxing qualification, is a tough row to hoe, as shown by the Kiwi numbers that have chased the Olympic dream, since international qualification was introduced for New Zealand boxers twenty-four years ago.

Some 74 New Zealand boxers have set out to box at the Olympics with a mere four making the cut.

Double Commonwealth Games gold medalist David Nyika. has joined the list of New Zealand pugilists who have entered the Olympic ring, after qualifying at the Amman tournament.

Also in Amman, Tauranga Boxing Club fighter Ariane Nicholson has been on a journey of a lifetime, to box at the Olympic qualifying tournament. Coached by Chris Walker at the TBC headquarters in Waihi Road, the local women's welterweight has come a long way since joining the Western Bay boxing gym, with the ambition of just having a corporate contest.

Twelve bouts without defeat last season propelled Ariane on the journey to Olympic qualification. The Tauranga boxer showed all her fighting qualities, to drop a paper-thin 3-2 decision to a Mongolian opponent, with the Olympic boxing blogger praising her go-forward approach to the contest.

Several of the narrowly beaten Kiwi brigade in Jordan, including Ariane, now have a real dilemma of do they invest more time and money to box at the last chance world Olympic qualifying tournament in Paris in May, to join David Nyika in Tokyo.