WORLD BOXING looks to further cement itself as the flagship international federation for Olympic boxing after increasing its membership to 89 countries.
The breakaway group was established back in 2023, shortly before the International Boxing Association (IBA) lost its Olympic recognition due to governance issues and a lack of financial transparency.
Since then, World Boxing has restored the sport’s place at the Los Angeles Games in 2028 after being granted provisional recognition by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) last month.
From the outside looking in, the widely trusted body, operating under the leadership of Boris van der Vorst, is set to organise Olympic boxing in years to come.
Yesterday, it was announced that applications from five more national federations have all been approved by the World Boxing Executive Board.
Its new members include federations in Bulgaria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Albania and the Bahamas, with each application pending final approval until World Boxing’s next Congress vote in November.
While the Bahamas still has a national federation aligned with IBA, the nation’s World Boxing federation was formed last November in a bid to bolster any Olympic opportunities for its athletes.
The additions of Ghana and Sierra Lerone, meanwhile, have extended World Boxing’s African membership to nine countries.
This, in particular, represents a step in the right direction for African boxing, as with IOC president Kirsty Coventry looking to elevate the continent’s sporting participation, it is a region that could quite easily unearth plenty of talent in the leadup to LA28.
It is important to highlight, too, that this announcement has arrived after World Boxing added six countries to its rapidly growing list of members earlier this month.
