World Boxing has welcomed the decision by the Kazakhstan Boxing Federation to apply for membership of World Boxing.
The decision to apply follows the announcement today (26 September 2024) that the President of the National Olympic Committee of Kazakhstan and 2004 Olympic silver medallist and two-time middleweight world champion, Gennadiy Golovkin, has been appointed Chair of a new Olympic Commission by World Boxing.
Following this announcement, the Kazakhstan Boxing Federation today issued a statement HERE which said: “Kazakhstan Boxing Federation has made an important decision as a result of lengthy discussions and analysis.
“Kazakhstan submitted an official application to join the World Boxing organization.
This decision is primarily related to the Olympic future of domestic boxers.”
The statement went on to include a quote from the President of Kazakhstan Boxing Federation, Shahmurat Mutalip.
He said: “Now the issue of boxing’s remaining in the Olympic program is being discussed at the NOC level. We are ready to work together with all countries in order to preserve boxing in the Olympic Games program. We believe that this decision will allow boxing to further develop.
“During the meeting with Gennadiy Golovkin, Chairman of the World Boxing Olympic Commission, President of the National Olympic Committee, we discussed ways to develop domestic boxing.”
The President of World Boxing, Boris van der Vorst, added: “World Boxing welcomes this decision and we look forward to working closely with both the Kazakhstan Boxing Federation and the Chair of our new Olympic Commission, Gennadiy Golovkin, on the future development and growth of our organisation as we pursue our mission to ensure that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic Movement.
“Kazakhstan is one of the most consistently successful nations in Olympic-style boxing and I have no doubt that having its National Federation as a member will be a major boost to World Boxing and have a significant impact on our presence in Asia as we look to diversify and grow our global footprint.”