GB Boxing has joined World Boxing, a breakaway international boxing federation set up over growing fears over the sport’s Olympic future.
World Boxing, which still needs to secure International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognition, has been established in response to the ‘persistent issues’ surrounding the Olympic sport’s existing governing body, the International Boxing Association (IBA).
The IBA has been under a cloud of suspicion since the IOC banned the organisation in 2019 over governance issues and alleged corruption.
Now, Great Britain is looking to replace the IBA with World Boxing ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
However, it will be a race against the clock for World Boxing to confirm its IOC recognition, with provisional recognition expected to take ‘up to two years’. This would be essential for Great Britain to compete in boxing in Paris.
World Boxing will also be focused on ensuring the sport’s place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, which has been left off the initial programme for LA. This is due to the IBA refusing to accept the IOC’s requests for rule changes.
Among five pledges, World Boxing claims it will ‘keep boxing at the heart of the Olympic movement’ and ‘ensure the interests of boxers are put first’.
It will be led by an interim board made up of representatives from Great Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, Sweden and the United States.
Matthew Holt, Chief Executive of GB Boxing, commented, “It is vital that boxing continues to remain at the heart of the Olympic movement and to achieve this we need to re-establish a relationship of trust between those that the govern the sport and all of its stakeholders.
“World Boxing aims to deliver this by creating a financially transparent organisation with strong governance structures that delivers sporting integrity and fair competition and acts in the interest of boxers and the sport.”
The IBA has responded, claiming that the establishment a ‘rogue’ organisation has no other motivation other than an ‘attempt to destroy the integrity’ of the existing body, and that it ‘strongly condemns the efforts of individuals to damage the significant strides taken by the IBA over last years to secure boxers’ the best future possible.’
