Haroon Khan to appeal Pakistan Olympic boxing ban

Haroon Khan won bronze at the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games

The father of Bolton boxer Haroon Khan has said they will appeal the a decision not to allow him to represent Pakistan at the London 2012 Olympics.

Khan, 20, has been told by the International Boxing Association (AIBA) he cannot box for Pakistan.

"The Pakistan boxing federation got an email that Haroon can't represent them as he represented England as a youth," Shah Khan told BBC Radio Manchester.

"We sent letters out to AIBA and we're hoping that they'll accept all this."

Haroon, the younger brother of WBA Super and IBF Light Welterweight Champion Amir Khan, was due to represent Pakistan in the upcoming World Boxing Championships in Azerbaijan, which act as a qualifier to the Olympics.

Khan, who represented England as a youth in 2009, initially hoped to box for England in the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, but after being overlooked, opted instead to fight for Pakistan, and won a bronze medal.

"Their rulings say when a boxer becomes a national in more than one country then he has decided which country he wants to represent," Shah Khan added.

"He became a national of Pakistan in 2010, now that was after he'd boxed for England.

"Then he decided he wanted to box for Pakistan, which he did in the Commonwealth games, where he won a bronze medal.

"If you go by that rule he did decide to box for Pakistan so he should be entitled to box for Pakistan.

"There is another qualifier in February and we're keeping our fingers crossed he'll be going there."