The fight to keep boxing at the Olympics intensifies | Boxing News

Matt Boseath

WORLD Boxing has called on more countries to join them as they fight to keep boxing at the Olympics.

World Boxing held its first meeting with the International Olympic Committee this week.

The representatives met in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Monday at the headquarters of the IOC Olympic House.

Boxing is not currently included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The IOC organized qualifying for the Paris Summer Games following the IBA's ban, but stressed it could not continue and a new international federation was needed to govern the sport.

World Boxing launched in April last year and since then they have hosted three World Cup Boxing tournaments in Germany, England and the USA, with membership numbers growing steadily.

At a press conference last month, World Boxing said it had 28 members, with general secretary Simon Toolson saying: “We're in talks with 25 to 30 countries and there's another group of countries behind them.”

President Boris van der Vorst also told the press that World Boxing may meet with the IOC to discuss the future of the sport, with their first meeting taking place this week.

The IOC said the new International Federation should be established “by early 2025.”

During the meeting, the IOC stressed that the new International Federation needs the support of the global body of national federations and must demonstrate evidence of good governance and leadership in the sport if they are to consider the return of boxing to the 2028 Olympics.

Van der Vorst said after the meeting: “It is absolutely essential that boxing nations interested in participating in the Olympic Games in the future urgently demonstrate their intent and commitment to the Olympic Games by joining World Boxing and keeping boxing at the Olympic Games. .

“Otherwise boxing losing its Olympic status would be our worst nightmare.”

At the press conference, it was announced that Ukraine, a country with a strong Olympic boxing tradition, has not yet applied to join World Boxing, while Mongolia and the Philippines are the only two Asian countries that are currently members, and Nigeria is the only African country.

Toolson emphasized that applications from Asian and African countries are already being processed.