Has boxing saved its place in the Olympic program? Will she finally be present at the Los Angeles 2028 Games? Patience. The answer remains very uncertain.
But the day of Monday, November 4, 2024 will perhaps prove decisive for the future of the discipline in the Olympic movement. Decisive in a good way.
In the space of a few hours, two announcements have further boosted the numbers of World Boxing, the new boxing body, created in April 2023 as an alternative to the IBA. Through a domino effect, they strengthen its chances of obtaining recognition from the IOC, a crucial step in ensuring the future of boxing at the Summer Games.
The first news came from the United States. Meeting in Colorado the day after the end of the youth world championships (U19), the second annual World Boxing congress validated the affiliation of four new countries: Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Guatemala and Laos. Four new members from three continents, the first two of which seemed loyal allies of the IBA. Always good to take.
With these new entrants, the body chaired by the Dutchman Boris van der Vorst now has 55 national member federations. It is growing at a good pace, now with 13 countries in Asia.
Above all, World Boxing brought back into its net a major country in Olympic boxing: Uzbekistan. At the 2024 Paris Games, its boxers won five gold medals, all among the men, out of the seven distributed in the men's competitions. The country finished at the top of the medal rankings, ahead of China, Taipei and Cuba. A heavyweight, therefore.
The other news came from France. She wasn't expected. The French Boxing Federation (FFBoxe) announced in a press release, sent very late Monday evening, its decision to turn its back on the IBA to join World Boxing. She explains that her steering committee voted her “ disaffiliation from the International Boxing Association (IBA) in order to join World Boxing ».
The French authority continues: “ This decision, motivated by the desire to guarantee French boxing its place in the Olympic Games and to strengthen the stability of the clubs, marks a turning point for FFBoxe, which is moving forward with determination on this path.. The initiative is based on a letter from David Lappartient, president of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF), recalling that, following recent decisions by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), boxing is no longer recognized as Olympic sport for the Los Angeles 2028 Games.”
FFBoxe recalls that the IOC has asked the national Olympic committees to no longer recognize the national boxing federations still affiliated with the IBA. She explains that the decision of its steering committee will be subject to validation by the general assembly, meeting on December 14. Representatives of regional committees and clubs will also be able to have their say.
As a reminder, the FFBoxe steering committee had already debated, last month, the question of a possible departure from the IBA and membership in World Boxing. But its elected officials, cautious in their decisions, preferred to procrastinate. They had decided to wait before choosing their camp, to give themselves time to see the landscape clear up.
Obviously, the latest events, with the joining last week of seven new members within World Boxing, have convinced them to accelerate their pace.
A little over 18 months after its creation, World Boxing now has 56 member countries, including the most successful of the Paris 2024 Games – Uzbekistan -, the host nation of the last Summer Games – France -, and that of next – the United States. The game is not yet won. But the road seems less uncertain.
