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World Boxing
International boxing governing body From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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World Boxing is an international sports organization regulating amateur (Olympic-style) boxing. Formed on 13 April 2023, it currently consists of 106 member federations. It is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the international governing body for amateur boxing, and will sanction boxing at the Summer Olympics beginning in 2028.
The organisation was formed in response to ongoing governance and integrity issues facing the International Boxing Association which had resulted in its suspension—and later, expulsion—from the IOC. Its charter members were drawn from the "Common Cause Alliance"—a group of IBA members that had demanded transparency over the organisation's governance and finances amid the presidency of Umar Kremlev and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and campaigned for maintaining boxing as an Olympic sport. In February 2025, the IOC granted provisional recognition to World Boxing after meeting benchmarks for reach and integrity; the following month, the IOC approved the reinstatement of boxing on the Olympic programme.
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History
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Common Cause Alliance
The International Boxing Association had been suspended by the IOC in 2019 due to issues surrounding its governance and finances. Further scrutiny emerged under the presidency of Umar Kremlev—which began in 2020—including allegations of increased Russian influence (including close ties to president Vladimir Putin, a sponsorship agreement with state-owned oil company Gazprom, and having moved some of its operations to Russia), and continued concerns over governance, finances, and the integrity of officiating.[1][2][3][4][5]
Amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, 18 boxing national federations formed a consortium known as the "Common Cause Alliance" (CCA), which called for greater transparency on its finances (including the aforementioned Gazprom agreement), determine the detrimental effects of the invasion on the IBA, and for it to take stronger action against the Russian Boxing Federation. The CCA also pledged support for boxing to continue being a Summer Olympic sport.[6][7]
During the IBA Congress in May 2022, one day before a presidential vote, five candidates connected to the CCA were deemed ineligible by IBA's Interim Nomination Unit, accusing them of engaging in prohibited "collaborations" and campaigning outside of the designated period. One of the candidates—Dutch official Boris van der Vorst—filed for an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), stating that the candidates had been approved by the IBA's Disciplinary Committee, which had also approved the CCA's activities as being supportive of the IBA's mission.[8][9] The CAS overruled the IBA decision, resulting in an Extraordinary IBA Congress in September; however, the IBA's members voted against van der Vorst's proposal to challenge Kremlev's re-election.[2] By December 2022, the membership of the Common Cause Alliance had grown to 25 federations.[10]
World Boxing
In April 2023, the IOC stated that it needed to have a partner International Federation for boxing by early 2025, otherwise the sport's presence at the 2028 Summer Olympics would be at risk.[11] On 13 April 2023, World Boxing was launched as a competitor to the IBA, with its interim board including officials from member organizations of the CCA, and van der Vorst named inaugural president.[12][13][14] The IBA condemned World Boxing as a "rogue organization" whose sole purpose was to destroy the IBA's integrity, and threatened sanctions against national federations, athletes, and officials who participate in its events.[13][15]
On 22 June 2023, the IOC Executive Board voted to permanently withdraw its recognition of the IBA, citing a continued lack of progress on governance, finances, and addressing corruption since its original suspension.[16] On 7 May 2024, World Boxing held its first formal meeting with the IOC, discussing the future of Olympic boxing, and the criteria that would have to be met for the IOC to consider a proposal to recognize World Boxing as the governing body for boxing.[17]
On 15 May 2024, an exclusive deal was made for US company Nike Boxing to supply sporting apparel and footwear to World Boxing.[18]
On 26 September 2024, it was announced that Kazakhstani Olympic medallist Gennady Golovkin would lead World Boxing's Olympic Commission, serving as a liaison between World Boxing and the IOC on matters relating to Olympic boxing.[19]
On 2 October 2024, World Boxing announced a four-year agreement to delegate drug testing activities to the International Testing Agency (ITA).[20] On 10 October 2024, World Boxing agreed to delegate adjudication on all anti-doping violations to the Anti-Doping Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS AAD).[21]
In November 2024, the majority of the Asian Boxing Confederation (ASBC) voted to remain part of the IBA. ASBC President Pichai Chunhavajira resigned after the meeting.[22] In December 2024, Asian Boxing was formed with Chunhavajira elected to head the organization.[23][24] In January 2025, a Pan American Boxing Confederation was established by the 17 national federations from the Americas that were members of World Boxing at that time.[25][26]
On 24 February 2025, World Boxing announced an agreement with Exceed Boxing to manage its events and the organisation's commercial rights (such as sponsorships and broadcast rights).[27]
On February 25, 2025, World Boxing was admitted as a member of the Alliance of Independent Recognized Members of Sport (AIMS), after an Extraordinary Assembly to discuss several key developments.[28][29]
On 26 February 2025, the IOC announced that it had granted provisional recognition to World Boxing as an international federation for boxing, citing its ongoing progress on membership reach and commitments to competitive integrity; van der Vorst stated that "there is still a lot of work to do, and everyone is as committed as ever to continuing to work together and doing everything within our power to deliver a better future for our sport and ensuring that boxing remains at heart of the Olympic movement."[30]
On 10 March 2025, World Boxing was granted provisional membership of the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF), pending ratification by the ARISF general assembly.[31] On 17 March 2025, the IOC Executive Board recommended the reinstatement of boxing on the 2028 Summer Olympic programme, pending IOC approval.[32][33] On 20 March 2025, during the 144th IOC Session in Greece, the IOC's members unanimously voted to reinstate boxing as a Summer Olympic event.[34]
On 24 March 2025, European Boxing held its inaugural Congress in Prague, where Lars Brovil from the Danish Boxing Association was elected President.[35]
In April 2025, the IOC announced that one additional women's weight class would be added to boxing for parity with the men's events, bringing the total to 14 medal events at the 2028 Olympics.[36][37]
In May 2025, the organisation faced criticism for specifically naming Imane Khelif in an announcement of mandatory sex verification testing via PCR test for all boxers 18 and older in World Boxing-sanctioned events; she had faced controversy during the 2024 Summer Olympics over allegations—themselves based on disputed testing by the IBA—that she had XY chromosomes.[38][39][40][41] Reuters reported that van der Vorst had personally apologised to the Algeria Boxing Federation for the specific reference to Khelif, arguing that it violated her privacy.[42][43]
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Tournaments
- World Boxing Championships
- World Boxing Cup
- World Boxing Challenge
- U19 World Boxing Championships
World Boxing Championships
On 17 September 2024, World Boxing announced the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England, would host the organisation's inaugural 2025 World Boxing Championships from 4 to 14 September 2025.[44][45][46][47]
U19 World Boxing Championships
On 19 June 2024, World Boxing announced the inaugural U19 World Boxing Championships to be held in Pueblo, Colorado from 25 October to 5 November 2024.[48][49]
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Continental federations
- Asian Boxing
- Pan American Boxing Confederation
- European Boxing
National federations
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Member federation: "+GB" indicates GB Boxing, whose catchment area overlaps the Home Nations members.
Current
World Boxing currently has 106 national member federations - 11 from Africa, 24 from the Americas, 31 from Asia, 33 from Europe, and 7 from Oceania.[50]
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Presidents
- Boris van der Vorst
(2023–present)
References
External links
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