New World Boxing Association | deutschlandfunk.de

The IBA has been suspended by the International Olympic Committee since 2019 due to the federations’ mismanagement, opaque funding, and corruption in the refereeing system. To date, the IBA has not been able to implement the required reforms. On the contrary: under Russian President Umar Karimlev, one provocation after another took place.

Now top boxing officials from different countries want to pull the emergency brakes and create a new association with World Boxing. On Friday (04/21/2023) information and registration packages for World Boxing were sent to the National Federations.

Initiator of “World Boxing” van der Voorst: “We are facing the biggest nightmare”

“We believe we are facing the biggest nightmare you can experience as a sport, as a sports official: losing Olympic recognition,” says Boris van der Voorst, one of the initiators of the new WBA. “We don’t want that to happen. That’s why boxing leaders like myself are urging us to start building world boxing to secure an Olympic future for our sport.”

In May, a decision will be made on which national boxing federations will be recognized as part of World Boxing, and the Founding Congress will be held in Frankfurt in November. This is the theory. In practice, however, many questions remain unanswered.

The IBA World Association is further suspended by the International Olympic Committee

Because the IBA is still the World Boxing Federation recognized by the IOC. Even if it is currently suspended and Olympic recognition suspended. There is currently no indication of an agreement between the IBA and the IOC. The IOC announced further investigations into the IBA’s activities in March.

In the event investigations continue to find violations, the IOC intends to issue a “comprehensive report on the IBA’s practices and activities, based on all available evidence – including but not limited to expert reports and the IBA’s response – and which will be presented at an upcoming executive meeting.” International Olympic Committee announced IOC spokesman Mark Adams.

But the WBA does not appear to be terribly interested in the agreement. Instead, the IOC is still under attack. So the IFJ suddenly declared the World Championships in Tashkent an Olympic qualification for Paris. Responsibility for the Olympic Qualifiers rests with the International Olympic Committee due to the suspension. They have announced many qualifying continental tournaments, such as the European Games.

“I think it is incomprehensible that they are trying to provoke the IOC. They live in a parallel world with their own rules and their own ideas. We tried to have a meaningful dialogue to point them in the right direction. But it didn’t happen,” says Boris van der Voorst, president of the Dutch Boxing Association. : “We have to fight to keep boxing a part of the Olympics. It’s not just about the Olympic dreams of our boxers, but also about the status of our sport or defending government funding. It’s important for many other things to compete in the European Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and Olympics, so I think That sport will die if we lose our Olympic recognition.”

As a last resort, the Dutchman sees a new union. Officials from Germany, Great Britain and the USA, among others, launched world boxing with him. USA Boxing President Mike McAtee is now beginning the incorporation process: “We have been approached by several national federations interested in joining World Boxing and we will send an information pack with all the information about World Boxing on how to apply for membership, and we will start accepting applications in early May.”

A new association hopes to be recognized by the International Olympic Committee

But how many countries respond to this call? Athletes from about 80 countries took part in the Games in Tokyo, and they were also supported by funds from the International Olympic Committee. Is this enough? But how many of the 204 member associations will turn out in the end? McAtee is confident: “We like to think of them as the silent majority of national federations committed to good federal governance, third-party oversight, and financial transparency.”

But to obtain status as a federation recognized by the IOC, not only is the number of federations important, but also global representation. According to Dutch van der Voorst, the goal is temporary recognition. For the Olympics in Paris, the IOC organizes competitions and qualifications. As for Los Angeles 2028, where boxing is not yet part of the program, world boxing officials hope to play a role again. Also, “Temporary recognition is very important because it could be the start of getting money back for the Olympics. So it’s very important because the IOC has been the most trusted partner and sponsor of Olympic boxing for a long time. This is now the most important thing we have to do.”

saber clatter iba

The IBF reacts to the new competition with sabers clanging, General Secretary Jurgen Ierolimpos: “For those who were involved in the founding of the separatist IBO and the countries to which it claims to belong, there is no doubt that the IBF is committed to it and reserves the right to seek redress from Anyone who harms the activities and reputation of the IBA and/or seeks to have the IBA expelled from the Olympic family not only that, “renegade” officials and federations are at risk of being expelled from the IBA.