The boxing federations of Italy, South Korea, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands are the latest to join World Boxing, taking its total membership to 37 countries.
World Boxing was launched in April 2023 with the key mission of keep boxing at the Olympic Games. It now has members from all five continents.
The four latest members completed the rigorous application process to join World Boxing, which includes:
- A transparent and open election process for the appointment of office bearing roles
- The existence and operation of WADA-recognised anti-doping polices and processes
- Evidence of a structured, dispute resolution and appeals process that is either fully independent or subject to external input
- Formal recognition by either their National Olympic Committee (NOC) or Ministry for Sport
- A solid national and international boxing sports programme
“The continued growth of World Boxing’s membership is a sign of the widespread desire for change that exists across international boxing,” said Boris van der Vorst, President of World Boxing, in a statement.
“Eight boxers from Italy and two women from South Korea will be competing in the forthcoming boxing tournament at Paris 2024 and to have two countries with such strong Olympic pedigrees join our cause is a significant vote of confidence in the work of World Boxing,” he noted.
This news comes on the day of the opening of the Paris Olympics, where the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is administering the boxing tournament on its own as it had at Tokyo 2020. Boxing is currently not on the programme for the Los Angeles Games in 2028.
The previous boxing federation partner of the Olympics, the International Boxing Association (IBA), was suspended by the IOC over concerns regarding IBA’s governance, transparency, finances and sporting integrity.
The IOC said it would like to appoint a new federation partner by early 2025 to facilitate the administration of boxing at the Olympic Games.
World Boxing held its first formal meeting with the IOC in May, to discuss the possibility of becoming the new Olympics partner and keeping boxing at the Games.
“We are continuing to process applications from a number of other countries and it is clear that more and more National Federations now recognise that the only path that will see our sport remain a part of the Olympic programme at Los Angeles 2028 and beyond is to join World Boxing now,” said van der Vorst.