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“Regarding to joining World Boxing, 21 votes were for no, 14 favoured for yes and 1 vote was invalid in the secret voting.”
Saturday’s vote at the Extraordinary Congress of the Asian Boxing Confederation in Al Ain (UAE) showed the fractured nature of national boxing federations in the 42-member group, and significantly slowed the progress of World Boxing to become the recognized International Federation for boxing by the International Olympic Committee.
World Boxing, officially formed in November 2023, was created in the aftermath of the expulsion from the Olympic Movement of the International Boxing Association in mid-2023 by the IOC.
In fact, in view of its continuing issues with the IBA, the IOC itself organized the boxing competitions at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 and has said it will not do so in the future.
Said IOC spokesman Mark Adams (GBR) on 6 August during the Paris Olympic Games:
“[T]he sport of boxing needs a new federation to run boxing. …
“The sad thing is that boxing is incredibly important, an incredibly important Olympic sport, I think I’ve said that before. For us, it’s important not just because it’s a great sport, because actually it’s of those sports which has a real, social aspect to it. It often works in areas which are underprivileged and so it’s incredibly important.”
Asked about the decision date on whether boxing will be included in the program of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, IOC President Thomas Bach (GER) indicated at his 10 August news conference that it will would need to happen in the first half of 2025.
The ASBC Extraordinary Congress was called a month earlier by the ASBC Board to specifically consider the question of moving to World Boxing. With the motion defeated, it’s not clear what will happen:
● Those federations who voted to go to World Boxing may join it and break away (some have done so already).
● All may stay, and will certainly not participate in any boxing competition in Los Angeles, if there is one.
What is true is that this was a major potential pivot point for World Boxing, and it didn’t happen; the federation has 42 members thus far, insufficient to be recognized. If boxing is not included on the LA28 program, how will national boxing federations explain to their governments why they should continue to be funded, since there is no opportunity for them to participate in the Olympic Games?
With an already enormous program confirmed for Los Angeles – an Olympic-record 35 sports, not counting boxing – the 2028 Olympic Games will go on either way.
World Boxing has issued no statement so far; the IBA issued statement saying it was pleased with the outcome.
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