The Olympic future of boxing was already very fragile. Since Saturday, August 31, it now seems to be hanging by a thread. And it is a thin one.
Meeting in Al Ain, Saudi Arabia, the extraordinary congress of the Asian Boxing Confederation (ASBC) was to vote on its membership in World Boxing, the new international boxing body, created in April 2023 to compete with the IBA and take its place in the Olympic movement.
The issue was important, both for boxing in Asia and in the rest of the world. A favourable vote could have given new impetus to World Boxing, whose progress has been slow and laborious, despite the goodwill shown towards it by the IOC.
But, not without surprise, the Asian national federations chose in their majority to remain loyal to the IBA. To the question of joining World Boxing, 21 of them answered in the negative. In the opposing camp, 14 national federations voted in favor. One ballot was declared invalid. Clarification: the vote was held by secret ballot.
The convening of an extraordinary general assembly on August 31 had been decided a month earlier on the proposal of the ASBC executive committee, whose members wanted to adopt a common position on a possible membership in World Boxing. It was held on the sidelines of the Asian junior and school championships.
In the short term, the Asian continent's refusal to join World Boxing has two consequences. The first is obvious: the IBA retains all its strength. It has not yet been affected by the mass exile anticipated in spring 2023 when World Boxing was created. The new body, chaired by the Dutchman Boris van der Vorst, currently has 42 national federations. Its membership is growing, but at a still very slow pace.
Proof of a balance of power still largely in favor of the IBA: World Boxing did not wish to comment after the Asian continent's decision. It did not publish any press release. The IBA, for its part, did so the day after the announcement. It explains that " congratulate the democratic decision of the delegates of the Asian Boxing Confederation (ASBC) Congress to remain within the IBA. This decision reflects the years of hard work of the IBA in developing boxing worldwide and the true unity of the IBA boxing family."
Another, less expected consequence: the resignation of the president of the ASBC, the Thai Pichai Chunhavajira. "In light of the decisions taken today, I have chosen to resign from my position on the IBA Board of Directors, he announced in a statement. This decision has not been easy to make, but it is necessary. I will now focus on one goal: securing the future of boxing at the Olympic Games and ensuring that the ASBC continues to play the vital role it has long played in the sport.."
Now the questions. The first concerns the 14 Asian federations that voted on Saturday, August 31, in favor of joining World Boxing. Will they follow through with their approach by leaving the IBA, despite the result of the vote at the extraordinary congress? Nothing is certain. To date, eight Asian countries have joined World Boxing. All of them had done so well before the convening of an extraordinary congress.
Second, more decisive question: does the vote of the ASBC delegates in favour of the IBA further threaten the future of boxing at the Los Angeles 2028 Games? The answer is less uncertain. It is positive.
By massively joining World Boxing, Asia would have allowed the new body to almost double its membership in one go. It could then have returned to the IOC with stronger arguments in the hope of obtaining recognition. But with only 42 member countries, recognition does not yet seem to be a possibility.
The IOC has repeatedly said this during the Paris 2024 Games: boxing needs a new, strong and credible international federation. Despite its efforts, World Boxing is still not big enough. But time is running out. Thomas Bach explained this on the eve of the closing of the last Olympic Games: the decision on whether or not to include boxing in the programme of the LA 2028 Games could be taken in the first half of 2025.
