India on Friday became the 29th member state of World Boxing, the breakaway governing body which is seeking to become the preferred partner of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to run boxing events at the Los Angeles 2028 Games, ahead of the International Boxing Association (IBA).
“Boxing's maintaining its status as an Olympic sport is crucial to the sport's sustainability, so we are excited to be joining World Boxing and look forward to working closely with the board and other members to shape the future development of the sport and create a brighter future for boxers around the world,” BFI chairman Ajay Singh said in a press release.
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“The BFI shares the same values and goals as the World Boxing Association and is keen to play a leading role in its development. We also want to be at the forefront of the establishment and convening of new Asian Confederations to ensure the expansion of boxing and increased membership on the Asian continent.”
What is the conflict between the IBA and World Boxing?
The World Boxing Association is seeking to replace the IBA, which was expelled from the Olympic movement last year due to financial problems, a long-running dispute with the IOC over ties to Russia (its president is Russian businessman Umar Kremlyov and its largest sponsor is oil giant Gazprom), concerns about electoral procedures and the poor quality of bout judging.
Why is India entering world boxing now?
The move was inevitable after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected the IBA's appeal against the IOC's decision in April this year to revoke its recognition as the international boxing federation. The International Olympic Committee said it needed to find a suitable new international boxing body by early 2025 or risk boxing being dropped from the Olympics at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
In a press release issued shortly thereafter, the World Boxing Organization announced that although the IOC had hosted the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, it was not in a position to host another Olympic boxing tournament in 2028. As such, the IOC needed a “recognized and credible international federation as a partner.”
The World Boxing Federation said the decision to set up new federations was in the hands of national boxing federations and national Olympic committees, and that any national boxing federation that wanted to send boxers to the Los Angeles Games would need to join a recognised international federation, including the World Boxing Organization.
Why don't more national federations join the World Boxing Federation?
Currently, there are 197 national federations affiliated with the IBA (formerly AIBA), but India is only the 29th national federation to join World Boxing. The IBA, which has a very wealthy major sponsor, Russia's Gazprom, has the support of many countries and boxers, in part because it offers lavish rewards to boxers who compete in the world championships. Gold medallists at the 2023 world championships were awarded $200,000.
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Despite not being responsible for running the Paris Olympics, they also allocated $3.1 million in prize money to medal winners for the 2024 Games.
Additionally, with only 29 national federations, mostly from Western Europe, Australia and the United States, boxers are limited in the number of tournaments they can compete in. World Boxing's website states that there are only 21 sanctioned tournaments in total. There are no member federations from Asia, except for India, and there are still no world-class tournaments held.
What does India's entry into world boxing mean?
The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) is one of the largest federations in the country and its inclusion will give a huge boost of confidence to the international body.
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“India is a hugely important country in international boxing and we look forward to welcoming the BFI to the growing World Boxing family. This is a very exciting development that will significantly increase our presence in Asia and we look forward to working closely with the BFI to achieve our common goals,” said World Boxing President Boris van der Vorst.
However, most national federations have yet to transition to the World Boxing Organization.
A major challenge for world boxing is not only the shortage of boxers, but also the shortage of qualified referees.
