Boxing’s future in the Olympics is already in limbo and now the Asian governing body of the sport has increased its troubles by voting in favour of the suspended International Boxing Association (IBA). In the voting conducted through secret ballot, 21 countries voted in favour of remaining with the IBA while 14 countries voted in favour of joining the new body World Boxing formed to govern the sport.
Apart from India, other countries that participated in the voting included Bahrain, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Chinese Taipei, Timor Leste, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Yemen.
India participated as an observer. The IBA is in a dispute with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The IOC was responsible for the Olympic qualification process for the Tokyo and Paris Games. The decision of the Asian Boxing Confederation (ASBC) to refuse to join World Boxing has increased the troubles regarding the inclusion of boxing in the 2028 Olympic Games to be held in Los Angeles.
After the vote, the IBA attacked World Boxing, saying the new body lacked the resources to hold major international competitions. “World Boxing does not have the finance, expertise and support to hold major international competitions. They have no intention of taking boxing forward,” the IBA said in a statement.
Welcoming the Asian body’s support, the IBA said it was a validation of its good work over the past few years. “This decision (by ASBC) reflects the hard work of the IBA over the years for the development of boxing around the world and the true unity of the IBA boxing family,” the statement said. The IBA also hit out at those national federations who voted against it during the secret ballot.
“There is no justification in joining an organisation which has no intention of advancing boxing but only seeks to fulfil the personal ambitions of its leadership,” it said in the statement. As far as India is concerned, the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) had agreed to join World Boxing in May.
