India quits IBA suspended by IOC, joins forces with World Boxing – Telangana Today

The move comes months after the IOC renewed its threat to exclude boxing from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics if national federations continued to join the IBA.

New Delhi: The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) on Friday split from the suspended International Boxing Association (IBA) and joined the breakaway World Boxing Association to counter the threat to the sport’s Olympic future.

The move came a few months after the International Olympic Committee renewed its threat to exclude boxing from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games if national federations continued to adhere to the IBA.

“It is absolutely critical for the future of boxing that it retains its Olympic status, so we are delighted to join World Boxing,” BFI President Ajay Singh said in a press release.

Singh said he looked forward to working closely with the WB board to “shape the future development of the sport and create a better future for boxers around the world.” World Boxing, whose president is former IBA presidential candidate Boris van der Vorst, was launched in April 2023 and aims to ensure that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic movement.

The membership application has been approved by the BFI General Assembly and will be ratified by the World Boxing Board.

“India is a very important country in international boxing and we look forward to welcoming the BFI into the growing World Boxing family. This is a very exciting development that will significantly increase our presence in Asia and I look forward to working closely with the BFI to achieve our shared goals,” said Van der Vorst.

On May 7, the World Boxing League held its first official meeting with the IOC, marking the beginning of a formal collaboration between the two organizations aimed at paving a path for boxing to remain part of the Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had abolished the IBA in 2019 due to long-standing financial, sporting integrity and governance issues.

At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, boxing will be supervised by the IOC. After the Olympic Games in Tokyo, the IBA will not be involved in the fights at the mega event for the second year in a row.