Governance

17 candidates from 16 countries are due to contest elections for office at World Boxing’s third annual Congress in Rome on 23 November 2025.

The Congress will include elections for the office of President, one position as Vice-President and several other places on the World Boxing Executive Board. The Presidential election will not feature the current holder, Boris van der Vorst, who announced in September 2025 that he is not standing for a second term. 

The two candidates that have put their names forward for the Presidency are Gennadiy Golovkin from Kazakhstan and Mariolis Charilaos from Greece.

A former boxer, Gennadiy Golovkin, won a silver medal at the Athens Olympics in 2004 and the middleweight world title twice in a professional career made-up of 42 wins, two losses and a draw.  He is the President of Kazakhstan’s National Olympic Committee and has served as the Chair of World Boxing’s Olympic Commission since September 2024.

Mariolis Charilaos served as President of the Hellenic Boxing Federation from 2021 to

2025 where he implemented governance reforms with a strong focus on transparency, strengthened international partnerships, and the establishment of athlete-centred programmes.

In line with the processes set-out in World Boxing’s Statutes, Rules for Electoral Voting and Rules for Candidates of Elections (HERE), all of the candidates will need to be approved by an independent Vetting Panel to make it on to the ballot paper at Congress.  The Vetting Panel is made-up of three independent, external experts and supported by the leading independent provider of sport-specific arbitration and mediation services, Sport Resolutions.

A list of candidates and details of their relevant experience and expertise can be viewed HERE.

The Congress will be chaired by World Boxing Vice President, Dinah Glykidis and the elections overseen by an experienced, independent, third-party organisation. Scrutineers will be onsite to validate the veracity of the election processes and ensure candidates are treated in a fair and equitable manner.

World Boxing was launched in April 2023 with a mission to ensure that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic movement. It held its first formal meeting with the IOC in May 2024 and on 25 February 2025, it was granted provisional recognition by the IOC as the International Federation (IF) within the Olympic Movement governing the sport of boxing at world level.

The newly established Oceania Boxing Confederation has elected Beulah Daunakamakama from Fiji as its first President at its inaugural Congress in Fiji.

The establishment of the new Confederation, which is affiliated to World Boxing, marked the beginning of a new era for the sport in Oceania aimed at strengthening and promoting boxing in the region.

The Congress was hosted by the Fiji Amateur Boxing Association and attended by the National Federations for boxing from Aotearoa, Australia, Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Tahiti, and Tuvalu.

It was chaired by Dinah Glykidis, Chief Executive of Boxing Australia and a Vice President of World Boxing and included welcomes from Kathy Wong, President of the Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (FASANOC) and Board Member of the Oceania National Olympic Committee (ONOC), and Ratu Meli Nacuva, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Youth and Sports (Government of Fiji).

The business of Congress included the ratification of Oceania Boxing’s Statutes, and elections for the Executive Board, including the position of President and two Vice Presidents. The election process was scrutinised by FASANOC to ensure it was fair and transparent.

The full list of people elected to the Executive Board include:

• President: Beulah Daunakamakama (Fiji)
• Vice President (1): Phil Goodes (Australia)
• Vice President (2): Tavui Mike Lemisio (Samoa)
• Board Members: Ishmael Tahiata (French Polynesia), Lefau Francis Joseph Ainuu (Samoa), and Ms Manaema Saitala (Tuvalu – subsequently co-opted)
• Chair of Sports and Competition Committee: Scott Bindloss (Kiribati)
• Treasurer (Chair of Audit & Finance Committee): Vacant
• One additional Board position remains vacant.

In speeches during the Congress, delegates expressed appreciation to World Boxing for its ongoing support in maintaining the Olympic pathway for athletes and enabling the revitalisation of boxing in the Oceania region.

The Congress also extended thanks to the current President of World Boxing, Boris van der Vorst, for his support in helping Oceania to establish the new Confederation.

World Boxing was launched in April 2023 with a mission to ensure that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic movement. It held its first formal meeting with the IOC in May 2024 and on 25 February 2025, it was granted provisional recognition by the IOC as the International Federation (IF) within the Olympic Movement governing the sport of boxing at world level.

New eligibility policy introduces mandatory sex testing for all World Boxing competitions

World Boxing has introduced mandatory sex testing, to determine the eligibility of male and female athletes that want to participate in its competitions as part of a new eligibility policy published HERE today.

The policy is designed to ensure the safety of all participants and deliver a competitive level playing field for men and women and means that all athletes over the age of 18 that want to participate in a World Boxing owned or sanctioned competition will need to undergo a once-in-a-lifetime PCR (polymerase chain reaction) of functional medical equivalent genetic screening test to determine their sex at birth and their eligibility to compete.

The new policy comes into effect from 20 August 2025 and will be applied in the female category at the forthcoming World Boxing Championships in Liverpool, 4-14 September 2025.

It means that all athletes who wish to take part in the 10 female weight categories at the World Boxing Championships in Liverpool will need to undergo a PCR or functional medical equivalent genetic screening test to certify their eligibility to box.

World Boxing’s policy on ‘Sex Eligibility’ has been crafted by a Working Group of its Medical and Anti-Doping Committee which examined medical evidence from a range of sources and spent nearly 12 months consulting with experts and studying legal, societal and sporting developments relating to the issue of eligibility by sex.

Under the policy, World Boxing will operate two categories as determined by sex: a men’s category and a women’s category.  To be eligible for the men’s category, a competitor must be male at birth. To be eligible for the women’s category, a competitor must be female at birth.

Participation in either category will be determined by a PCR or functional medical equivalent genetic screening test to determine sex at birth. The PCR test is a laboratory technique used to detect specific genetic material, in this case the SRY gene, which reveals the presence of the Y chromosome, that is an indicator of biological sex. The test can be conducted by nasal/mouth swab, saliva or blood.

Athletes deemed to be male at birth, as evidenced by the presence of Y chromosome genetic material (the SRY gene) or with a difference of sexual development (DSD) where male androgenization occurs, will be eligible to compete in the male category.

Athletes deemed to be female at birth, as evidenced by the presence of XX chromosomes or the absence of Y chromosome genetic material (the SRY gene) or with a DSD where male androgenization does not occur, will be eligible to compete in the female category.

National Federations will be responsible for testing and will be required to confirm the sex of their athletes when entering them into World Boxing competitions by providing a certification of their chromosomal sex, as determined by a PCR or functional medical equivalent genetic screening test.

A failure to provide certification of the chromosomal sex of an athlete or the provision of a false certification, will render the athlete ineligible to compete and may lead to sanctions against the athlete and/or its National Federation.

Where test results for boxers that want to compete in the female category reveal Y chromosome genetic material and a potential Difference of Sexual Development (DSD), the initial screenings will be referred to World Boxing’s expert medical panel for genetic screening, hormonal profiles, anatomical examination or other valuation of endocrine profiles by medical specialists. The policy includes an appeals process, and support will be offered to any boxers that provide an adverse test result.

The President of World Boxing, Boris van der Vorst, said: “World Boxing respects the dignity of all individuals and is keen to ensure it is as inclusive as possible, yet in a combat sport like boxing, we have a duty of care to deliver safety and competitiveness fairness which are the key principles that have guided the development and creation of this policy.

“It has been a long and detailed process, but it was vital that we examined all of the medical, legal and sporting issues raised by this issue and I am confident that in introducing testing to certify the eligibility of an athlete to compete as a male or female, the new policy on ‘Sex Age and Weight’ will deliver sporting integrity and protect the safety of all participants.

“We recognise that the issues relating to eligibility in boxing are more pronounced in the women’s events which is why we have made the decision to implement the policy in the female category first, where it will apply for the forthcoming World Boxing Championships and this was communicated to all of our member National Federations some time ago, to enable them to begin the process of testing.

“I would like to thank the members of the Working Group for their hard work in developing and creating this policy over the last year and am grateful for the ongoing support of our member National Federations for their commitment and assistance in implementing it.”

World Boxing’s decision to prioritise testing in the female category is based on a recognition that the issues of safety and sporting integrity in relation to eligibility are most pronounced in women’s boxing. Testing will be applied for boxers in the male category at all World Boxing competitions from 1 January 2026.

This will mean that from 1 January 2026, all athletes over the age of 18 that want to participate in a World Boxing owned or sanctioned competition will need to undergo a, once-in-a-lifetime, PCR (polymerase chain reaction) or a functional medical equivalent genetic test to determine their sex at birth and their eligibility to compete.

World Boxing was launched in April 2023 with a mission to ensure that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic movement. It held its first formal meeting with the IOC in May 2024 and on 25 February 2025, it was granted provisional recognition by the IOC as the International Federation (IF) within the Olympic Movement governing the sport of boxing at world level.

World Boxing is seeking to appoint a full-time Secretary General to support its continued growth and development and oversee the operational management of the organisation, which is the International Federation within the Olympic Movement with responsibility for governing boxing at world level.

The Secretary General will work with the President and Executive Board of World Boxing to support the growth and development of both the organisation and the sport of Olympic-style boxing, manage relationships with key stakeholders and have responsibility for all day-to-day operations.

The role will be based at World Boxing’s headquarters in Lausanne and specific responsibilities will cover:

• Providing strategic leadership and overseeing governance
• Operational management and deployment of organisational resources
• Management of relationships with a wide range of stakeholders and representing World Boxing at key international forums, including the International Olympic Committee (IOC), other International Federations (IFs), and governmental bodies
• Legal and ethical oversight

The full job description and details of how to apply are available here.

The closing date for applications is 23:59 CET Sunday 13 July 2025.

World Boxing is committed to fairness and equity and values diversity in all its dealings. It welcomes applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates irrespective of age, disability, sex, race, religion or sexual orientation.

World Boxing was launched in April 2023 with a mission to ensure that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic movement. It held its first formal meeting with the IOC in May 2024 and on 25 February 2025, it was granted provisional recognition by the IOC as the International Federation (IF) within the Olympic Movement governing the sport of boxing at world level. It currently has 111 member National Federations representing all five Continents that compete in Olympic style boxing.