World Boxing approves applications from five more National Federations to increase membership to 27 countries

The National Federations for boxing in the Philippines, Scotland, Wales, Suriname and the US Virgin Islands have become the latest five organizations to have their membership applications approved by World Boxing, the new international federation established to keep boxing at the heart of the Olympic Movement and support the growth and development of the sport at all levels.

The Philippines is the second National Federation from Asia to join World Boxing which has 27 members across all five continents that compete in Olympic-style boxing. The five new joiners will be eligible to take part in World Boxing’s inaugural Congress in Frankfurt Am Main on 25 November 2023 which will have more members than the equivalent event hosted by AIBA (now known as IBA) in London in 1946.

The Philippines, Scotland, Wales, Suriname and the US Virgin Islands all completed a rigorous application process to join World Boxing. They are deemed to be in good standing and, through their statutes and operating processes, able to demonstrate:

• A transparent and open election process for the appointment of office bearing roles

• The existence and operation of WADA-recognized anti-doping policies and processes

• Evidence of a structured, dispute resolution and appeals process that is either fully independent or subject to external input

• Formal recognition by either their National Olympic Committee (NOC) or Ministry for Sport

• A solid national and international boxing sports program.

The applications have been approved by the Executive Board of World Boxing and will be ratified at the Congress in Frankfurt.

All World Boxing’s members will be invited to attend the Congress and have had the opportunity to nominate candidates for the offices of President, Vice President (VP) and places on World Boxing’s Executive Board and the Chairs of the Sport and Competition Committee, the Medical and Anti-Doping Committee and the Finance and Audit Committee. All full members will have voting rights at the Congress.

“To be heading into our inaugural Congress with a minimum of 27 members of such high caliber is a major achievement for World Boxing and a sign of the desire for change that exists across the sport,” said Simon Toulson, Secretary General, World Boxing.

“Our members represent every continent where Olympic-style boxing takes place and includes many nations with a proud and distinguished history in the sport. Most importantly they are committed to creating a better future for boxing, based on the principles of integrity, honesty and excellence and ensuring the sport remains at the heart of the Olympic movement.

“It is clear from recent events that World Boxing is the only international federation that can deliver this. The consistent growth in our membership and continued interest we are receiving from National Federations is an indication of the growing support for our work and the widespread recognition that World Boxing is the only international federation that can enable boxing to keep its place on the Olympic program at Los Angeles and beyond.”

World Boxing was launched in April 2023 and aims to ensure that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic movement. It will seek recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and plans to work constructively and collaboratively to develop a pathway that will preserve boxing’s ongoing place on the Olympic competition program at Los Angeles 2028 and beyond.

The first cohort of World Boxing members was made-up of USA Boxing, New Zealand Boxing, Boxing Australia, GB Boxing, England Boxing and the Dutch Boxing Federation. They were joined in August 2023 by the National Federations for boxing in Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Honduras and Sweden. The third group to join included Denmark, Mongolia, Panama and French Polynesia. They were joined recently by the National Federations for boxing in Finland, Iceland, Jamaica, Nigeria, Norway and the Czech Republic.