Governance

World Boxing, the new international federation established to keep boxing at the heart of the Olympic Movement, has received more than 40 nominations for Executive positions when elections take place at its inaugural Congress in November 2023.

The nominations, which include 11 female candidates, cover a range of offices including President, Vice President (VP) and places on World Boxing’s Executive Board along with the Chairs of the Sport and Competition Committee, the Medical and Anti-Doping Committee and the Finance and Audit Committee.

The nominations come from 18 countries spread across four continents and mean that every Executive position and role as Committee Chair will be contested when members vote in November.  

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 be assessed for eligibility by an independent Vetting Panel using open-source materials. 

The Vetting Panel is made-up of three independent, external experts that do not have any involvement or knowledge of World Boxing and will be supported by the leading independent provider of sport-specific arbitration and mediation services, Sport Resolutions.

Once the vetting process has been completed a final list of eligible candidates will be published no later than 30 days before the elections take place.

Details of the World Boxing’s inaugural Congress will be announced in early September 2023.

The Secretary General of World Boxing, Simon Toulson, said: “Open, fair and transparent elections are a central element of World Boxing’s commitment to operating to the highest standards of governance. 

“To receive such a strong response to World Boxing’s call for candidates is a clear indication of the desire for change that exists within international boxing, and it is a very positive sign to see that every office bearing position within the organisation will be contested by a diverse range of candidates at the inaugural Congress.”

World Boxing was launched in April 2023 and aims to ensure that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic movement. It will seek recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and plans to work constructively and collaboratively to develop a pathway that will preserve boxing’s ongoing place on the Olympic competition programme at Los Angeles 2028 and beyond.

World Boxing, the new international federation established to ensure boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic Movement, has appointed Professor Jack Anderson, as its first Ethics Chief.

Anderson has more than 25 years’ experience in legal practice and sports arbitration.  He is currently the legal counsel in integrity regulation at Racing Victoria, where he is on extended leave (2022-2025) from Melbourne Law School, having served as its Professor and Director of Sports Law Studies since 2017.

As World Boxing’s Ethics Chief, Anderson will advise on issues and disagreements related to governance and operations; review policies and programmes to ensure they are consistent with World Boxing’s ethics and values; respond to complaints and enquiries of an ethical nature; bring forward issues of ethical importance to the Executive Board and Secretary General; and ensure World Boxing’s operational activities are ethical, fair and transparent.

In this independent position, he will be the first point of contact for all issues and determine, in the first instance, if a complaint is required to be elevated to the approved World Boxing independent third-party organisation for further action or can be dealt with reasonably and fairly within the existing governance remit of the organisation.   The full Terms of Reference for the role of World Boxing’s Ethics Chief can be viewed HERE. 

Anderson was nominated for the role by an independent three-person panel and his appointment was ratified by the Executive Board of World Boxing. His initial appointment runs until the end of 2023 when he will have the opportunity to be re-appointed by the new Executive Board that will be elected at World Boxing’s inaugural Congress in November 2023.

World Boxing’s Secretary General, Simon Toulson, said: “Strong governance, ethical practices and independent, third-party oversight are central to everything that World Boxing stands for as an international federation and the role of the Ethics Chief is a vital part of making sure that these philosophies are ingrained into the day-to-day operations of the organisation.

“Jack has an outstanding track record in sports legal practice and we have no doubt that he will play an important role in enabling World Boxing to deliver the high standards of governance, transparency and ethical practice that we believe all international federations should aspire to.”

Jack Anderson added: “I am impressed by World Boxing’s commitment to transparency, integrity and strong governance and look forward to working with them. A sport with clear and sound ethical values, and the courage to pursue those who do not respect such standards, best protects its athletes. It also promotes greater confidence in the image and integrity of that sport helping it reach new audiences and secure its future.”   

Born in Ireland, Anderson lectured at the Queen’s University Belfast for 13 years before taking up the role of Professor and Director of Sports Law Studies at the University of Melbourne in 2017.

His primary research interest is the relationship between sport and the law. Professor Anderson has published widely in sports law including books such as The Legality of Boxing (Routledge, 2007) and, most recently, Sports Law: A Concise Introduction (Edward Elgar, 2023).

He is a member of the International Hockey Federation’s (FIH) Integrity Unit; the International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) Ethics Commission; and a subject expert on the Asia Racing Federation’s Council on Anti-Illegal Betting and Related Financial Crime.

Formerly an arbitrator on the Court of Arbitration for Sport, he now sits on World Athletics’ Disciplinary Tribunal, Football Australia’s NDRC and the National Sports Tribunal of Australia.

World Boxing was launched in April 2023 and aims to ensure that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic movement.  It will seek recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and plans to work constructively and collaboratively to develop a pathway that will preserve boxing’s ongoing place on the Olympic competition programme. 

Further information on World Boxing is available at www.worldboxing.org.