Governance

Olympic Solidarity and World Boxing Partnership Supports Young Athletes on the Road to Dakar 2026

Olympic Solidarity

World Boxing is proud to recognise the invaluable support provided by the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Solidarity Programme in helping young boxers take an important step on their journey towards the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.

The World Boxing Futures Cup, held in Bangkok, Thailand, in March 2026, served as the event for athletes seeking selection for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games. Attendance at the event was a mandatory eligibility requirement, making participation a crucial milestone for aspiring Youth Olympians.

Through the Olympic Solidarity Programme, National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and their National Federations received funding to ensure that talented young athletes had the opportunity to compete, regardless of financial barriers.

In total, the programme supported:

  • 21 National Olympic Committees
  • 32 athletes, comprising 22 men and 10 women
  • 34 coaches

Financial support of $175,000 covered international travel to Thailand, accommodation and meals, enabling athletes and coaches from across Africa, Asia, Oceania, Europe, and the Americas to attend the World Boxing Futures Cup and compete for the opportunity to progress towards Dakar 2026.

Elise Seignolle, President of the Panamerican Boxing Confederation, who facilitated the support of teams from Honduras, Guatemala, Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago, said “Olympic Solidarity has played a vital role in giving young athletes opportunities that can shape their entire sporting journey. By supporting their preparation and participation, it allows talented boxers from across the Americas to compete on the international stage and continue developing toward their Olympic dreams. We are deeply grateful for this partnership and its lasting impact on the next generation of champions.”

The IOC established six selection principles for Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, including wide continental representation and strong African representation as the host continent. As a result, the selection event has achieved exceptional global diversity, with 79 NOCs represented across the 120 athlete quota places for Dakar 2026.

World Boxing also thanks the participating NOCs, National Federations and coaches whose commitment ensured these young athletes could take part in this important initiative, with several athletes travelling outside of their home countries for the very first time.

The partnership between Olympic Solidarity and World Boxing demonstrates the shared commitment of both organisations to developing the next generation of Olympic boxers and providing meaningful opportunities for young athletes on the Road to Dakar 2026 and beyond.

The NOC’s supported for the participation in the World Boxing Futures Cup include:

BeninBotswanaEquatorial Guinea
LibyaMauritiusNamibia
SenegalGambiaSeychelles
Bangladesh BhutanIraq
LebanonGuatemalaHonduras
Trinidad and TobagoVenezuelaLithuania
LatviaFijiTuvalu

World Boxing are now working with the Olympic Solidarity department of the IOC and members of the African Confederation to facilitate a pre-competition training camp in Senegal for the athletes supported by the programme. 

Solomon Desmond Kargbo, President of African Boxing said: “African Boxing is entering a defining moment, which has been made possible with the support of the Olympic Solidarity Program. As we look ahead to the Youth Olympic Games, this momentum gives our athletes crucial preparation and sends a strong message that African boxing is progressing with structure, ambition and purpose.”

The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games will be held in Senegal from 31st October to 13th November with the boxing competition taking place between November 7th and November 12th. 

Seventeen candidates nominated for election at World Boxing’s fourth annual Congress in November 2026

Seventeen candidates representing seventeen National Federations have been nominated for election at World Boxing’s fourth annual Congress in Panama, 20 November 2026.

The candidates are contesting a series of roles on the Executive Board of World Boxing including: two positions as Vice-President; two Executive Board member roles; and the Chairs of the Sport and Competition Committee, the Finance and Audit Committee, and the Medical and Anti-Doping Committee.

The full list of candidates is available HERE. It is made-up 15 men and two women representing 17 member or associate member National Federations from across four Confederations. Nine are from Asia, four from Europe, and two each from Africa and PanAmerica.

In line with the World Boxing Election Process and Voting Regulations all of the candidates will now be assessed for eligibility by an independent Vetting Panel, that has been approved by the Executive Board of World Boxing and is made-up of three independent, external experts.

A final list of candidates for election will be published in early September 2026 once the work of the Vetting Panel has been completed.

All candidates are subject to the processes set out in the World Boxing Statutes and World Boxing Election Process and Voting Regulations.

World Boxing was launched in April 2023. 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 Extraordinary Congress strengthens governance with new Ethics Committee

World Boxing today held an Extraordinary Congress, at which member federations approved a series of measures further strengthening the organisation’s governance framework.

Opening the Congress, World Boxing President Gennadiy Golovkin underlined the organisation’s continued commitment to transparent, accountable and athlete-centred governance as it builds toward full IOC recognition and boxing’s long-term Olympic future.

With the quorum of member federations confirmed, delegates approved three governance measures.

First, a constitutional amendment on the Ethics Committee was adopted by the required two-thirds majority. It establishes a permanent Ethics Committee, appointed by Congress on the recommendation of the Executive Board, replacing the previous ad interim body.

Second, delegates approved the composition of the World Boxing Ethics Committee, which takes office on 2 July 2026. The Committee will be chaired by Margot Foster, alongside members Norihide Ishido, Daniel Pitt — appointed by the Athletes’ Committee and independent member Kirsty Burrows.

Third, the Congress approved the appointment of Nexio Fiduciaire SA as auditors for the 2025 accounts. 

Each measure was carried with overwhelming support from the membership.

“Today’s meeting is a big step for our future. We must make decisions, which follow the recommendations from the ASOIF Governance Review and support our recognition by the IOC. This is fundamental to creating a strong and trusted International Federation,” said World Boxing President Gennadiy Golovkin.

The decisions reinforce the independent oversight and financial-governance structures World Boxing has put in place over recent months. The organisation’s governance program continues at its Congress in Panama in November 2026, where members will consider the next set of governance and athlete-focused measures, including an Athletes’ Rights Charter aligned with the IOC Athletes’ Declaration.

World Boxing confirms two-year suspension for boxer after three whereabouts failures in 12 months

World Boxing can confirm that Mongolia’s Enkhtur Tegshjargal has accepted a two-year period of ineligibility for an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV).

Following an agreement in October 2024, all of World Boxing’s clean sport activities are delegated to the International Testing Agency (ITA) which provides a high-quality anti-doping programme that includes education, in competition and out of competition testing, and results management.

Under Article 2.4 of the World Boxing Anti-Doping Rules (available HERE) Enkhtur Tegshjargal committed three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period.

The athlete has accepted the ADRV and agreed with the consequences proposed by the ITA. Accordingly, the case was resolved by way of an agreement on consequences and the athlete’s period of ineligibility is from 10 June 2026 – 9 June 2028.

All of the athlete’s competitive results obtained from the date of commission of the ADRV (29 November 2025) until the start of the period of Ineligibility (10 June 2026) are disqualified, including forfeiture of medals, points and prizes.

Details of the ITA’s statement on this case are HERE.

Detail of the agreement between World Boxing and the ITA are HERE.

World Boxing to hold Extraordinary Congress on 1 July 2026

World Boxing is to hold an Extraordinary Congress on 1 July 2026 to address a series of governance and administrative matters that require formal approval by Congress.

The specific items on the agenda include:

  • Approval of Amendments to the Constitution related to World Boxing’s Ethics Committee, specifically that it should not be elected by the members but appointed by Congress to guarantee its independence
  • Subsequent changes to the membership of the Ethics Committee, inlcuding the appointment of the four members (including one new independent member); one of the members is U19 World Boxing Champion 2024 Daniel Pitt, who has been nominated by World Boxing’s Athlete Committee.
  • Approval of the appointment of the Auditors for 2025

The Extraordinary Congress will be held virtually.

In accordance with World Boxing’s statutes, voting rights at the Extraordinary Congress shall be limited to Full Member National Federations and Associate Members in good standing in accordance with the World Boxing Constitution and the current electoral period requirements. It means that a maximum of 123 member National Federations will have an opportunity to vote. Endorsed Members will not participate in this Extraordinary Congress and will remain eligible for consideration to become full member at the next regular Congress in November 2026.

The decision to hold an Extraordinary Congress reflects the status of Congress as the highest decision-making body of World Boxing and aims to ensure the continued good governance, legal compliance, and operational stability of World Boxing.

Further details of the Extraordinary Congress are available HERE.

World Boxing opens bidding process for three-year competition calendar covering 19 events from 2027 – 2029

World Boxing has opened the bidding process for National Federations to host competitions over the next three years from 2027 – 2029.

Details of the bidding guidelines for every event are available HERE and cover 19 competitions including four Continental Olympic qualifiers, two World Olympic qualifiers, 11 World Boxing Cups and both an Elite and an U19 World Boxing Championships.

The guidelines set-out details of the bidding process each event, including timelines and selection, along with details of the requirements of each host city bid, which includes a wide variety of elements covering event management, accommodation, travel and logistics and the role and scope of the Local Organising Committee (LOC).

All World Boxing National Federations are welcome to bid to host relevant competitions. Indicative dates are provided for each competition and the full list of events by year is:

Competitions in 2027:

Olympic Qualification Series – Continental Qualifiers*

• African Boxing Qualifier: June- December 2027

• Asian Boxing Qualifier: June- December 2027

• Oceania Boxing Qualifier: June- December 2027

• Panamerican Boxing Qualifier: June- December 2027

* The European Boxing Continental Qualifier will be part of the European Games 2027, Istanbul, 16-27 June 2027.

World Boxing Cups

• World Boxing Cup 1: February 2027

• World Boxing Cup 2: May 2027

• World Boxing Cup Finals: December 2027 

Competitions in 2028:

Olympic Qualification Series – World Qualifiers

• World Olympic Qualifier 1: March 2028

• World Olympic Qualifier 2: May 2028

World Boxing Cups

• World Boxing Cup 1: February 2028

• World Boxing Cup 2: June 2028

• World Boxing Cup 3: September 2028

• World Boxing Cup Finals: December 2028

U19 World Boxing Championships

• World Boxing U19 Championships: August – November 2028

Competitions in 2029:

Elite World Boxing Championships

• Elite World Boxing Championships, September – November 2029

World Boxing Cups

• World Boxing Cup 1: February 2029 

• World Boxing Cup 2: June 2029

• World Boxing Cup 3: September 2029

• World Boxing Cup Finals: December 2029

The bidding process can be found HERE.

Any National Federations that would like to know more about the biddig process or have questions about it are able to contact the bid team direct at: bids@worldboxing.org.

World Boxing welcomes ASOIF Governance Review and is ready to make continued progress

World Boxing has welcomed the publication of the Sixth Review of International Federation Governance by the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), as an important benchmark in the organisation’s ongoing growth.

The review awarded World Boxing a moderated score of 117 points. While this was slightly below our target score of 135, World Boxing believes the result provides a solid foundation for a young International Federation that was assessed at an early stage of its development. We are confident that the significant governance reforms and organisational improvements implemented since the review period will be reflected in future assessments.

As a relatively new organisation with provisional Olympic membership status, World Boxing is encouraged by its performance in several of the review’s most important governance areas, particularly transparency, democracy and integrity. These pillars are fundamental to building a credible and athlete-focused Olympic International Federation and reflect the values upon which World Boxing was established.

The ASOIF review is based on a detailed assessment of governance arrangements in place at the beginning of 2026. As such, it provides a snapshot of World Boxing in its start-up phase, when the organisation was operating with limited resources and before a number of significant organisational changes had been implemented. The review also noted that World Boxing’s self-assessment was closely aligned with the final outcome and recognised that a number of governance improvements had already been introduced after the assessment period, meaning they were not reflected in the final score.

Since the period covered by the review, World Boxing has a new leadership team with the election of Gennadiy Golovkin as President and Tom Dielen as Secretary General and is actively investing in the systems, policies and programmes required to support its long-term growth.

The review identified opportunities for improvement in areas including development programmes, sustainability initiatives and certain control mechanisms. World Boxing recognises the importance of these areas and has already begun work to strengthen its capabilities and governance framework. The organisation expects to make substantial progress as additional resources become available and new initiatives are implemented.

World Boxing President Gennadiy Golovkin said:

“We welcome the ASOIF Governance Review as an important tool for measuring progress and identifying areas where we can continue to improve. The review recognises the strong foundations that World Boxing has established in key governance areas, particularly transparency, democracy and integrity, which have been priorities since the organisation was created.

“As a new organisation, we have had to make careful decisions about where to focus our resources while building an organisation from the ground up. It is encouraging that the review acknowledges this context and recognises that our governance structures and policies compare favourably with many more established organisations.

“We are also pleased that ASOIF noted the fact that a number of improvements had already been implemented after the review period. This gives us confidence that we are moving in the right direction and that future assessments will provide an even more complete reflection of the progress being made.

“This is a strong platform on which to build. With our new leadership team in place and additional resources becoming available, we are confident of making significant progress during 2026 and improving our performance in future reviews.”

World Boxing will work in the coming months with ASOIF and IOC to make sure that we are continuing the progress that was already made since the submission, aiming to comfortably achieve the target score of 135 in due course. 

World Boxing remains fully committed to the highest standards of governance and accountability and will continue to work closely with its member National Federations, athletes, stakeholders and partners to build a strong and sustainable future for Olympic-style boxing.

President Gennadiy Golovkin takes part in Athlete Committee meeting to ensure views of boxers are at centre of decision making

World Boxing’s Athlete Committee has held its second meeting this week meeting, to discuss a wide range of issues covering the ongoing development of World Boxing and the sport of Olympic style boxing.

The meeting was attended by the President of World Boxing, Gennadiy Golovkin, his Chief of Staff, Alimzhan Akayev, and Secretary General, Tom Dielen, along with four members of the Committee which included Chair, Catilin Parker, Vice Chair, Richard Torrez Jr, and Daniel Pitt from Wales and Buse Naz Çakıroğlu of Türkiye.

The aim of the Athletes Committee is to provide advice, guidance and opinions which ensure that boxers have a voice in the development of World Boxing and the meeting covered a wide-range of topics including: eligibility to compete; officiating and the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI); athlete safety and the role of headgear; and the Olympic qualification pathway. 

The group also discussed communications and considered a series of proposals to increase engagement between the Athlete Committee and boxers across the globe.

The discussion and outcomes from the meeting will be shared with the Executive Board of World Boxing in advance of its next meeting in July to ensure that the views of boxers are represented and taken on board at the highest levels of decision making.

Full details on the role and make-up of the Athletes Committee are available HERE.