IRELAND and Cuba, two highly decorated amateur boxing nations, have joined World Boxing in a bid to consolidate their Olympic future.
This encouraging news for the two national federations arrived just yesterday, with the approval of 15 other newcomers elevating World Boxing’s membership to 106 countries.
As a result, the international federation has only enhanced its credentials after earning recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the sport’s flagship governing body.
Equally, World Boxing now looks to be in a far stronger position ahead of the Los Angeles Games where, despite much uncertainty, boxing will rightfully take centre stage in 2028.
For the Irish Amateur Boxing Association (IABA), meanwhile, this development follows an EGM last month, where all but one of the 117 Irish clubs voted in favour of joining World Boxing.
But despite pledging its allegiance to the breakaway organisation – headed by Boris van der Vorst – the IABA nonetheless appears to be operating with dual membership status.
This is because the International Boxing Association (IBA), formerly recognised as the governing body of Olympic boxing, still organises a plethora of amateur tournaments.
So by remaining with IBA, the IABA has, in turn, increased the number of competitions that each boxer can enter in the lead-up to LA28.
At the same time, though, it is important to highlight that IBA lost its recognition from the IOC over a series of issues – mostly relating to governance and financial transparency – back in 2023.
Yet still, the fact remains that Irish boxers, among a selection of the world’s most elite, will enter the World Boxing Championships in Liverpool, England, this September.
“This is a watershed moment for Irish Boxing, following the resounding ‘yes’ of member clubs to safeguarding our Olympic future at our EGM in April,” IABA Board of Directors chief Niall O’Carroll said in a news release.
“Every kid in every boxing club in the Association deserves the Olympic dream – and their clubs have made sure that dream can live on, to LA 2028 and beyond.
“Irish Boxing has always valued our Olympic journey – from our first team of nine boxers at Paris 1924, to winning 19 medals over the last 100 years and maintaining our standing as Team Ireland’s most successful Olympic sport.”
