Can Olympic boxing be saved?
Amateur officials from the U.S., Great Britain and several other countries have joined forces to create World Boxing, which is intended to replace the troubled International Boxing Association and preserve the sport’s place on the Olympic schedule.
The IBA was suspended by the International Olympic Committee in 2019 because of issues related to “governance, its financial transparency and sustainability, and the integrity of its refereeing and judging processes,” according to the IOC.
The suspension reportedly has remained in place in part because the IBA has not made changes.
Boxing will be included in the 2024 Paris Olympics, being run by the IOC. However, it’s not part of the initial program for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
The U.S. and Great Britain were joined by officials from Germany, the Netherlands, the Philippines and Sweden in forming World Boxing, which is based in Switzerland.
“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,” said GB Boxing Chief Executive Matthew Holt, according to The Daily Mail.
“World Boxing aims to deliver this by creating a financially transparent organization with strong governance structures that delivers sporting integrity and fair competition and acts in the interest of boxers and the sport.”
The IOC has yet to formally recognize World Boxing.