Olympics

Following the completion of the boxing tournament at Paris 2024, the President of World Boxing, Boris van der Vorst, said:

“The last 14 days of action at Paris 2024 have once again shown why boxing is such a central and important part of the Olympic Movement.

“The high-quality competition has produced a series of memorable bouts featuring 248 men and women from 69 countries across the world.

“It has shown why the Olympic Games is so important to boxing and why the sport is one of the most effective in delivering the values of the Olympic charter as shown by the diversity of the athlete cohort and the number of countries taking part and winning medals. Boxing truly is a global sport in which all countries have the opportunity to compete and a chance of Olympic glory.

“After such a fantastic and hard-fought competition, I would like to congratulate every boxer that has competed in Paris and especially the 52 men and women, from 30 countries plus the Refugee Olympic Team, that have won a medal.

“I would also like to thank the Paris Boxing Unit (PBU) for delivering the competition and the qualification campaign and congratulate them on the fantastic staging of the event.

“The North Paris Arena and Roland Garros have been superb venues and both have enjoyed noisy sell-out crowds that have provided a brilliant platform to showcase the skills, determination and courage of the boxers.

“The energy, passion and emotions seen during this tournament have shown that this is the absolute pinnacle for boxers and it would be a tragedy if Paris 2024 turned out to be the last time ever that boxing appeared on the Olympic programme.

“It would be devastating for everyone connected with the sport at all levels and in every part of the world. Fewer people will come into the sport at the grassroots and there will be less opportunities for boxers at the elite levels of both amateur and professional boxing. It would be a disaster that we cannot allow to happen.

“Since it expelled the previous international federation, the IOC has made it abundantly clear that the only way that boxing will be restored to the programme for Los Angeles 2028 is if it has a trusted and reliable International Federation (IF) to work with that has support of the National Federations (NFs).

“World Boxing is that IF. And we are committed to creating a sustainable and inclusive sporting structure – underpinned by strong governance and transparent financial management – where all boxers can compete and excel knowing that the integrity of the sport is guaranteed and competition is fair.

“Coming into the Games, World Boxing was established as a credible organisation with 37 member NFs covering every Continent that participates in boxing. 

“In the course of the tournament we have received several completed membership applications from NFs to join World Boxing and, following my conversations with numerous boxing leaders from across the world over the last two weeks in Paris, I am very confident that we will soon have more than 50 members, as the leaders of many NFs have assured me that they will apply to join World Boxing once this tournament is completed.

“We are also delivering a calendar of high-quality competitions. In September we will hold our first event in Asia when the World Boxing Cup takes place in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and in October and November we will host our first global World Boxing Championships, when the U19 World Championships get underway in Colorado, USA.

“Crucially World Boxing has established relations with the IOC, following a meeting in May 2024, and World Boxing has developed a pathway to ensuring that boxing is restored to the programme of the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028.

“This pathway is dependent upon NFs, and the IOC has made it clear that any country that wants to see their boxers have the opportunity to compete at a future Olympic Games needs to take immediate steps to join World Boxing. 

“This is the only course of action that will ensure that Paris 2024 is not the last time we see boxing at the Olympic Games. We cannot allow boxing to exit the Olympic stage, and I invite every NF that cares about their boxers and the future of the sport to take immediate steps to join World Boxing now and work with us to deliver a better future for the sport and ensure that boxing continues to remain at the heart of the Olympic Movement.”

World Boxing reached an important milestone in its development by attending its first formal meeting with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) with the goal to ensure boxing is in the Olympic Games for LA28. 

Monday’s meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland at the Olympic House, headquarters of the IOC, between the key figures from the IOC and World Boxing addressed the pathway for the future of boxing at the Olympic Games. 

As of today, boxing is not on the Olympic Programme for LA 28 which is an alarming fact for all involved in boxing. During the meeting the IOC clearly indicated that the new International Federation had to be supported by a global body of National Federations and the new International Federation had to show evidence of proper governance and leadership for the sport for the IOC to consider to put boxing back on the Olympic programme of LA28. 

Currently World Boxing is the only suitable International Federation to fulfil this mandate and is grateful to the IOC for starting a formal dialogue and outlining a future pathway to keep the sport in the Olympic Games. 

Boris van der Vorst, World Boxing President stated after the meeting, “Once again, we thank the IOC for their commitment and perseverance with boxing in the Olympic Games having run two Olympic editions themselves. Now it is time for World Boxing and National Federations to learn from their best practices and applied ethical principles.” 

“It is clearly imperative that those boxing nations interested to compete in the Olympic Games in the future need to show urgently their intent and commitment to the Olympic Games by joining World Boxing and retaining boxing at the Olympic Games. Otherwise, the loss of boxing’s Olympic status would be our worst nightmare.” 

World Boxing was launched in April 2023. 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. In November 2023, World Boxing held its inaugural Congress in Frankfurt where it conducted open, transparent and fair elections which saw members vote to elect a President and Executive Board. 

 “World Boxing welcomes the decision by CAS to withdraw recognition of IBA and the subsequent comments by the IOC in which it expressed a desire to partner with a new International Federation that is committed to ‘good governance, the integrity of competitions, transparency of finances and accounts, and autonomy’. 

“That International Federation is World Boxing. The decision by CAS and the comments from the IOC send a clear and unambiguous message to all National Federations that if they want boxers from their country to have the life-changing opportunity to continue to compete at future Olympic Games then they must now support and seek to join World Boxing, which is the last remaining hope for the sport to retain its status as an Olympic sport beyond Paris 2024. 

“There is no alternative and the IOC has made it clear that the ‘National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and National Boxing Federations hold the future of Olympic boxing in their own hands’. 

“Any National Federation or NOC that continues to think its boxers will have an Olympic future elsewhere and without joining World Boxing is making a grave error that will be ruinous for the sport and hugely damaging for its boxers. 

“For boxing to lose its place at the Olympic Games would be devastating for boxers at all levels in every part of the world. The Olympic Games provides inspiration and an unmatched platform for the sport. Without the Olympic Games, boxing and boxers will suffer. Fewer people will come into the sport at the grassroots and there will be less opportunities for elite boxers. This will damage the sport at every level and cannot be allowed to happen. 

“This is an urgent situation and the clock is ticking. The leaders of boxing’s National Federations now have a critically important decision to make and we urge every one of them that cares about boxers and the future of the sport to apply to join and support World Boxing in its efforts to ensure boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic Movement, before it is too late.” 

“World Boxing welcomes the clear position provided by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at its press conference (19 March 2024) on the status of boxing at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

“The comments made by the IOC send a clear message to Boxing National Federations that they must join and support a new International Federation immediately if boxing is to remain on the Olympic Programme, or the sport will not be part of future editions of the Olympic Games after Paris 2024, which will have devastating consequences for young boxers, at all levels, across the world.

“World Boxing aims to be the new International Federation and has been established with the primary aim of ensuring that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic Movement.  It has been founded on the principles of integrity, honesty and excellence and is underpinned by rigorous governance practices, designed to put the interests of boxers first and ensure that the integrity of the sport is guaranteed and competition is fair.

“World Boxing will seek recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and, should it choose to engage with us, we are committed to working constructively and collaboratively with National Federations and all stakeholders to develop a pathway that will preserve boxing’s place on the Olympic programme at Los Angeles 2028 and beyond.

“With its comments, the IOC has sent a direct and unequivocal message to everyone connected with the sport and we call upon all National Federations and everyone that cares about boxers and the future of boxing to join and support World Boxing and work with us to ensure that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic Movement.”