(Boxing news) The International University Sports Federation (FISU) Acting President Leonz Eder and International Вохing Association (IBA) President Umar Kremlev have signed a collaboration convention,to develop boxing at competitions for university athletes. The main reason is to include the development of both university sport and boxing, joint educational initiatives, as well as the promotion and development of shared values including gender equality, sustainability, fair play and integrity. 

“We look forward to what I believe to be a truly mutually beneficial cooperation between IBA and FISU,” said IBA President Umar Kremlev. “Together we will work to further instill fundamental values of boxing across the sports world as well as the younger generation of student athletes. Through joint education programmes we intend to learn and exchange vital knowledge from and with FISU.”

Since 2004, FISU has organized the FISU World University Championship Boxing every two years as boxing will be a part of the 2022 FISU University World Cup Combat Sports. The FISU University World Cup Combat Sports will also feature six new sports: boxing, karate, muaythai, sambo, wrestling and wushu.

Also read: Mayweather in talks for exhibition boxing match against Youtuber Money Kicks

FISU Acting President Leonz Eder stated: “We are truly excited to see IBA recognising the importance of our events and we are determined to promote boxing within the programme in tandem with the University Sport Movement. Boxing is a popular and universally accessible sport on campus which can be practiced by all university students of all genders. We will gladly encourage IBA to use university sport as a development platform for experimenting with new rules and the testing of new equipment.”

New Delhi, Jan 13 (Boxing News) The Boxing Federation of India has decided to pull out of the Asian Under-22 Championships for men and women in Tashkent, Uzbekistan due to the global surge in COVID-19 cases but is willing to participate if the tournament is rescheduled to a time when the pandemic subsides.

A reliable source in the federation has confirmed to PTI that a letter has been sent to the Asian Boxing Confederation as well as the tournament's organising committee confirming India's withdrawal.

The event was scheduled to be held from January 20 to 30. The Asian event was originally slated to be held from December 7 to 17 last year but was postponed because of the pandemic.

Indian boxing has been hit by a COVID crisis of its own. The men's senior national camp in Patiala has reported 26 cases, including 20 boxers.

Boxers born in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 are eligible to compete in the event that is being held for the first time in the continent.

The competition was to be held in 12 women's and 13 men's weight categories.

The Indian men's squad featured the likes of Asian youth bronze-medallist Mohammed Etash Khan (63.5kg) and reigning national champion Rohit Mor (60kg) among others.

The women's squad featured the likes of world youth champion Arundhati Chaudhary (71kg) and international medallist Jaismine (63kg).

Chaudhary had recently made the headlines by taking the Boxing Federation of India to court for not holding trials in her weight category for the world championships in Turkey.

Also read : Boxing: Mary Kom, Amit Panghal added to national camps.

News Sources : PTI

(Football news) Floyd Mayweather is currently in the final stages of negotiations to return to the ring next month to take on 20 year old internet personality Rashed Belhasa a.k.a Money Kicks. The Dubai based Youtuber and influencer is known for his luxurious lifestyle, sneaker collection and many exotic pets. The clash is set to take place over eight rounds at the helipad of the seven star hotel Burj Al Arab Jumeirah hotel. 

Belhasa has said that he was inspired by the fight between KSI and Logan Paul and gave him the confidence that Youtubers can compete at the highest level in boxing. He has already staged two boxing events in Dubai and won both of them. In an interview, Rashed Belhasa said “I never thought I would ever fight Floyd. He is the best fighter ever. When I was young, I would collect his 'The Money Team' caps! Mayweather's team asked my team for a meeting. We thought: 'No way will this happen!' The same day of the meeting, I saw Mayweather saying: 'I would love to fight Rashed'. He is serious. It is an honour that he has called me out. I thought: 'This will go viral!’”

Last week, Mayweather teased the fight by saying “Money Kicks is doing big things and I like what I am seeing." The 44 year old retired in 2017 with a 50-0 and has featured in a few exhibition bouts since then. He defeated Tenshin Nasukawa and went eight rounds against Youtuber Logan Paul. "Logan made history," said Money Kicks. "The whole world was talking about their fight. He has already given me tips on how to fight Mayweather. He told me to flinch a lot, and to move a lot, because Mayweather is a fast guy who has experience. If I knock him out, I would not sleep for a year!"

Apart from the highly anticipated clash against Floyd Mayweather, Money Kicks has four other fights in the pipeline across Saudi Arabia and London. Money Kicks said: "I grew up with lions - I am not scared of any human being. I will never fear any human. People think I'm crazy because boxing is big in London, but here? In Dubai boxing is fresh. People think I am a professional fighter. They go crazy when they see me. Everybody thinks I'm the Mayweather of Dubai!"

Also read: IBA and the International Testing Agency renew anti-doping partnership

New Delhi, Jan 11 (Boxing News) Six-time world champion M C Mary Kom and Asian Games gold-medallist Amit Panghal were among six Indian boxers who were on Tuesday included in the ongoing national camps for women and men in Delhi and Patiala respectively.

Panghal was joined by a fit-again Vikas Krishan, who underwent a shoulder surgery last year after the Olympics, Manish Kaushik, Satish Kumar, and Ashish Kumar in the men's camp in Patiala.

Mary Kom will report to the women's camp at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here after the inclusion of their names was recommended by the Boxing Federation of India.

The two camps will continue till March 14, the Sports Authority of India said in a statement.

All six of them were not included in the camps conducted in December last year as they had skipped the national championships after the Tokyo Olympics.

"The Olympian boxers will now join the camps, which started on January 3 with only those who had competed in the National Championships.

"With the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games drawing close, Sports authority of India approved the inclusion recommended by the Boxing Federation of India," the SAI stated.

As many as 63 men boxers across different weight categories and 27 coaching and support staff have been in the National Camp in NIS, Patiala.

A total of 57 women boxers, including Olympic Games bronze-medallist Lovlina Borgohain and 25 coaching and support staff are already in the national camp in the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. 

Also Read : IBA and the International Testing Agency renew anti-doping partnership

News Source : PTI

(Boxing news) IBA has renewed its anti-doping partnership with the International Testing Agency (ITA) for three more years. As part of this agreement, IBA will outsource all anti-doping activities to the ITA including testing, intelligence gathering, test distribution planning, education and Therapeutic Use Exemption handling, as well as result management and the handling of anti-doping rule violations. The agreement also covers in-competition testing, long-term sample storage, intelligence & investigations, source handling and the administration of the Reveal platform, in strict adherence to the World Anti-Doping Code and the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA’s) International Standards.

The partnership was previously signed in 2016 after the Rio 2016 Boxing event and has resulted in greater transparency and progress in IBA’s anti-doping efforts since then. “Through its work with many sports, the ITA has shown the usefulness of bringing in independent experts to help ensure sporting integrity. At IBA, we are committed to this approach. It is our duty to protect our athletes and reinforce the values of clean sport in boxing. Continuing our work with the ITA will ensure we do exactly that,” said IBA President Umar Kremlev.

Benjamin Cohen, ITA Director General shared: “By entrusting the full range of its anti-doping programme to us at the ITA, we hope in turn that we can enable IBA to focus fully on its core mission of developing boxing, in a transparent manner, worthy of wider trust. We look forward to continuing to provide IBA and boxers with our expertise and are fully committed to supporting IBA in its fight against doping.”

IBA aims to continue working towards a greater future for boxing and boxers in the new year, following a roadmap to potential IOC reinstatement in 2023. Competitions that will fall under the renewed ITA partnership will include the IBA World Boxing Championships.

Also read: AIBA changes its acronym to IBA as Extraordinary Congress adopts new reforms

Lausanne, Jan 5 (Boxing news) The International Boxing Association (IBA) has renewed its partnership with the International Testing Agency for three years, an agreement which will cover in-competition dope testing, long-term sample storage, and investigations among other aspects.

The IBA first entered into an agreement with ITA after the 2016 Rio Olympics.

"The agreement includes IBA outsourcing all anti-doping activities to the ITA, including testing, intelligence gathering, test distribution planning, education and Therapeutic Use Exemption handling, as well as result management and the handling of anti-doping rule violations," the IBA said in a statement.

"The full scope of the new agreement now also covers in-competition testing, long-term sample storage, intelligence and investigations...in strict adherence to the World Anti-Doping Code and the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA's) International Standards," it added.

The move is part of the IBA's efforts to regain affiliation from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which suspended it in 2019 owing to financial irregularities, and administrative issues.

"It is our duty to protect our athletes and reinforce the values of clean sport in boxing. Continuing our work with the ITA will ensure we do exactly that," said IBA President Umar Kremlev.

Benjamin Cohen, ITA Director General added, "By entrusting the full range of its anti-doping programme to us at the ITA, we hope in turn that we can enable IBA to focus fully on its core mission of developing boxing, in a transparent manner, worthy of wider trust.

"We look forward to continuing to provide IBA and boxers with our expertise and are fully committed to supporting IBA in its fight against doping." IBA is following a roadmap given by the IOC for reinstatement in 2023. Competitions that will fall under the renewed ITA partnership will include the World Boxing Championships.

Boxing has managed to stay on board for the 2024 Paris Olympics but has been dropped from the provisional roster for the 2028 Games. It's future depends on the roadmap of good governance that IOC wants the body to implement.

The IBA recently announced a revamp of its administrative structure and promised conduct of elections by June end this year as recommended by an independent governance review. 

Also Read : AIBA changes its acronym to IBA as Extraordinary Congress adopts new reforms

News Sources : PTI

(Boxing news) The International Boxing Association Extraordinary Congress welcomed a new era to the sport as the federation changed its acronym from AIBA to IBA while also adopting a comprehensive set of new reforms developed by independent experts. A total of 107 IBA’s national federations were present to approve the changes.

“As we celebrate our 75th anniversary, I am very proud of the way IBA is quickly and comprehensively becoming fit for the future. Only a year has passed since I had the privilege of becoming President of IBA. Working together, we have already completed reforms that would not have been thought possible before,” said President Umar Kremlev. “We could not have achieved this alone. In preparing the measures approved by the members of IBA today, we have had the support of leading independent experts in sports integrity and in governance. And all of this has been made possible only with the help of resources provided by our General Partner, Gazprom.”

Among the amendments was the creation of a new Boxing Independent Integrity Unit which is set to become operational in 2022. The Board of Directors will be reduced from 28 to 18 after elections which will be held on June 30th. Extensive eligibility tests will take place which will be conducted independently to judge the candidates and changes to the Board’s composition are also expected based on enhanced eligibility criteria and imposition of term limits. A new visual identity has also been revealed to enhance IBA’s commercial viability with the new acronym of IBA at the centre of it. Despite changing its full name to International Boxing Association in 2007, IBA retained it’s old acronym ‘AIBA’ which referred to Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur. The new acronym is set to represent the beginning of an era where the highest standards of integrity are upheld and every boxer gets an equal opportunity.

“Just three days ago, the IOC gave its most recent advice to IBA, which included the adoption of governance reforms and diversifying our sources of revenue. It is a sign of how far IBA has come that we were already prepared to deliver convincing progress towards this at full speed,” continued President Kremlev. “We are doing much more than making very big improvements in individual parts of IBA. We are changing our whole culture in a lasting way. The new IBA is ready to serve the boxers of today and tomorrow, together with all those who support them.”

The IBA is already working towards developing an Olympic Qualification System and defining weight categories, subject to the approval of the IOC for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Also read: Mary Kom, Amit Panghal among bigwigs missing from list of national campers
 

New Delhi, Dec 9 (Boxing news) Six-time world champion M C Mary Kom and Asian Games gold-medallist Amit Panghal are among the top names missing from the list of boxers finalised for the 13-day national camps for men and women that will get underway at separate locations from December 11.

In fact, none of the five male boxers who competed in the Tokyo Olympics, including Manish Kaushik, Ashish Chaudhary, Vikas Krishan and Satish Kumar, have made the list of 52 men who will train from December 11 to 24 at Patiala's National Institute of Sports (NIS). Of these, Vikas is currently nursing a shoulder injury, which required surgery.

The women's camp will be held at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Centre in Rohtak on the exact same dates.

"It's because they did not compete in the national championships. It was pre-decided that this camp will only be for national medal winners and the ones who were picked after a trial at the end of Nationals," a top federation source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

"It does not apply to camps that will be held later and nobody should get too concerned about missing out here. All those who are not there right now will have a chance to be back in the camps that will be held later," he added.

When contacted, Mary Kom did not dwell on the subject and said, "I am just training at home right now. I will get down to rigorous training with my team in mid January and prepare for the world championships." The 38-year-old Manipuri, who is a former Olympic bronze-medallist, is also a serving Rajya Sabha MP. She is aiming to compete in the world championships and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham next year.

The women's world championship, to be held in Istanbul, was pushed from December this year to March by the International Boxing Association (AIBA) because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event is set to be further delayed to May next year.

The national women's camp will feature 49 boxers, including the likes of Tokyo Olympics bronze-medallist Lovlina Borgohain (70kg), former junior world champion Nikhat Zareen (52kg), and Asian champion Pooja Rani (81kg) among others.

Borgohain did not compete in the nationals either but in her case, the federation had decided to make an exception due to her medal-winning performance in Tokyo.

"The list is as per the last executive committee meeting decision in which Lovlina was the only one given an exemption," the source said.

Also there is Arundhati Chaudhary, the 19-year-old youth word champion who kicked up quite a storm when she challenged Borgohain's automatic selection for the world championship in the Delhi High Court. The federation ultimately agreed for a trial after the mega-event was postponed.

Her national gold has secured her a place in the camp and she would be trying to make an impression.

In the men's camp, five-time Asian medallist Shiva Thapa (63.5kg), Asian silver-medallist Deepak Kumar (51kg) and former world championship quarterfinalist Kavinder Bisht (57kg) are among the prominent names in the list of campers.

The two camps will be conducted by new head coaches for both men and women. While Narender Rana will be in charge for men, Bhaskar Bhatt will be heading the women's camp.

Men's High Performance Director awaits extension =============================== Men's High Performance Director Santiago Nieva is awaiting a longer extension to his contract that ended with the October-November world championships in Serbia.

It is reliably learnt that the Swede is likely to be retained despite coming under pressure after an underwhelming Olympic campaign during which none of the male boxers could make the medal rounds.

At the recent world event, India claimed one medal, a bronze through debutant Akash Kumar in the 54kg category.

Also Read : Turkey boxing championship postponed, fresh trials to be held: BFI to HC

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Dec 7 (Boxing news) The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) Tuesday told the Delhi High Court that fresh trials are required to be conducted for the Women's World Boxing Championship, 2021 as the tournament has been postponed from December this year to May 2022 in Istanbul in view of the COVID-19 situation.

The BFI submitted in response to a petition by National champion Arundhati Choudhary against not being considered for the championship in Turkey.

Justice Rekha Palli granted four weeks to BFI to place on record the procedure which will be followed for conducting the trials and listed the matter for further hearing on January 31.

The counsel for BFI submitted that given the COVID-19 position, the Women's World Boxing Championships 2021 to be held in Istanbul, Turkey has now been postponed to May 2022, and therefore the petitioner's grievance may no longer survive as fresh trials are required to be conducted before sending names for the championship when trials will be held in accordance with the law.

The court had earlier sought response of the BFI and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on the petition by the 19-year-old boxer who said that Olympic bronze-winner Lovlina Borgohain has been selected without a trial.

It had granted liberty to Choudhary, who is also the reigning youth world champion, to implead Borgohain in the matter, saying the court cannot examine the petitioner's contention or pass any order at the latter's back.

BFI's counsel had informed the court that Choudhary has already been registered for the event as a reserved boxer in the 70 kg category and there could be only one entry in each category and if she is aggrieved by the selection of Borgohain, she ought to have impleaded her as a party respondent.

As an interim measure, Choudhary has sought that the ministry and BFI be restrained from taking any detrimental action against her by denying the opportunity for her representation in the World Women Boxing Championship, 2021 to be held in Istanbul, Turkey.

Choudhary, in her plea, has said in the light of her excellent record that as she won the gold medal in the women's national boxing championship held in Hissar in October this year, she ought to have been given preference over any other candidate in the upcoming championship in Turkey.

Also Read : Boxing: Chennai's Sabari J wins inaugural WBC India title

News Source : PTI

Hyderabad, Dec 7 (Boxing news) Chennai's Sabari J became the inaugural winner of the World Boxing Council's (WBC) India welterweight title, defeating the more experienced Akashdeep Singh of Chandigarh in an eight-round bout here.

Sabari prevailed in a majority decision of 76-76, 79-73 and 79-73 in the professional event 'Hell's Bay', promoted by Raja Prashanth Singh of TIAR (The Indian Art Revolution) at the Gachibowli Stadium here late last night.

In the WBC Asia silver lightweight title bout, Karthik Satish Kumar defeated Hero Tito of indonesia in a hard-fought eight-round encounter.

Kumar won a unanimous decision of 80-72, 79-73 and 79-73.

Now that Sabari has won the inaugural India title, he has to defend it at regular intervals against other ranked boxers from India.

The 24-Year-old had four wins and one loss in his previous fights.

He made his professional boxing debut in January last year, just two months prior to the COVID-19 lockdowns.

The 27-year-old Akashdeep had come into the fight with a record of eight wins and one loss in the past three years.

Also Read : First ever WBC India title at stake as Akashdeep takes on Sabari J

News Source : PTI

Hyderabad, Dec 4 (Boxing news) In a major leap for the Indian professional boxing circuit, Akashdeep Singh and Sabari J will fight it out for the maiden World Boxing Council (WBC) India welterweight title here on Sunday.

The Patiala-born Akashdeep is the more experienced of the duo having competed in nine bouts, while the Chennai-born Sabari comes into the contest after having fought five times in the circuit so far.

The fight night named 'Hell's Bay' will also feature a WBC Asia Silver title contest in addition to four other contests in different weight divisions at the Gachibowli Stadium and is sanctioned by the Indian Boxing Council.

The 27-year-old Akashdeep has a record of eight wins and one loss in the past three years.

His 24-Year-old opponent has four wins and one loss in his previous fights. Sabari made his professional boxing debut in January last year, just two months prior to the COVID-19 lockdowns.

His only loss came against Karthik Sathish in the lightweight division in his debut fight.

Sabari, while competing in the undercard of Vijender Singh Vs Artysh Lopsan fight at Goa in March this year, defeated higher ranked Amey Nitin in a six-round contest.

"Both boxers have been competing in the pro circuit for the past 2 years and have shown immense potential and resolve to feature in this first ever Title fight in their weight," said Brigadier PKM Raja, President of the Indian Boxing Council.

"A win here would help them climb up the rankings in Asia and be a huge step toward building their careers in the global circuit." 'Hell's Bay' is a flagship event being promoted by TIAR.io, a digital marketplace that brings together artists, merchandise partners, investors, and collectors onto a platform.

"This will be the first of our many pro boxing fight nights planned in the next 12 months," said Prashant Singh, COO TIAR.io.

Alao Read :  Mary Kom supports Special Olympics Bharat on International Day of Persons with Disabilities

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Dec 3 (Boxing news) Olympic medallist and six-time world champion boxer MC Mary Kom on Friday helped launch Special Olympics Bharat's National Health Fest to improve health care and development of special athletes and assured them of her "unwavering support".

FICCI and Special Olympics Bharat jointly observed the International Day of Persons with Disabilities by launching the "National Health Fest for Divyangjan – We Care" at the FICCI Federation House here.

Mary Kom was the chief guest at the event.

Along with launching the initiative, the boxing stalwart also interacted with the athletes with intellectual disabilities who have won medals for India at the Special Olympics World Games in 2019.

"It is a great privilege for me to be here to celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities with the athletes of Special Olympics. These athletes are the true heroes of our country, and they are my inspiration," Mary Kom said.

"My unwavering support will always be with them, sending them strength and courage in their journey ahead. Never stop fighting and you will surely achieve all your goals." Launched under the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav initiative by the Government of India, the health initiative will reach a record 75,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities in 75 cities, marking 75 years of the country's independence.

The National Health Fest aims to set records for screening and training the highest number of athletes in a single day.

The initiative also aims to train 7500 medical and sports professionals to provide high quality health care and training to athletes with intellectual and developmental disability.

Moreover, 750 Special Olympics Bharat Centres will be activated to develop fitness and sports through a community-based approach. 

Also Read : AIBA to go through Comprehensive Governance Reforms before Extraordinary Congress

News Source : PTI

(Boxing news) Before the start of the AIBA Extraordinary Congress on 12 December 2021, the Board of Directors had a meeting and agreed upon the Recommendations and Constitutional amendments established in a report of an independent Governance Reform Group (GRG), led by Professor Ulrich Haas. As AIBA delivers continued evolution in all areas, the independent GRG was appointed to review AIBA’s current governance structures, think through these structures against international best practice and issue concrete recommendations for further improvement.

AIBA President Umar Kremlev said, “Throughout the last year, AIBA has made continued progress in terms of sporting and financial integrity as well as good governance. Professor Haas and his team of independent legal experts have pointed us in the right direction, so that we can achieve a level of governance that is best practice for international federations. I congratulate my colleagues on the Board of Directors on the unanimous bold statement they have made today. I also urge all AIBA Member Federations to study the recommended changes and make a decision with the best interests of the future for our sport and our athletes in mind. Boxing should always come first.”

Amongst the suggested reforms, the independent GRG has recommended reducing the number of AIBA Board of Directors members, and today it has been agreed to limit the size of the Board to 18 members, including bringing in 10 Special Members. Comprehensive eligibility checks will build on those brought in for the 2022 AIBA elections. They will be joined by skills assessments to ensure the best possible leadership team. The developments will be included with the establishment of an independent Boxing Integrity Unit which will be used as a platform to address competition manipulation, abuse, harassment, eligibility checks of election candidates and other issues.

Changes to the functioning of the Audit Committee and Finance Committee will allow for clearer and smoother financial controls. A clearer differentiation of roles between advice in finance and audit has been proposed. The GRG also proposed establishing a new interdisciplinary Strategy Committee to plan AIBA’s long-term strategy, develop mid-term and short-term goals.

“The proposed Constitutional amendments aim to significantly improve AIBA’s governance with focus on integrity, democracy, checks and balances. The list of top priorities and the final report are based on widely-accepted benchmarks for the highest levels of integrity and good governance, including those of ASOIF and IPACS. While they are yet to be approved by the Congress, this decision by the AIBA Board of Directors to adopt the measures proposed by our group can certainly serve as a basis for real and positive change,” - said Professor Haas. 

Finally, the Board of Directors is recommending to the Congress that elections shall be conducted before 30 June 2022. As an option, these elections may take place during the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Istanbul, that were rescheduled to May 2022, however, the exact dates will be determined by the Board on 31 December 2021 at the latest. Considerable changes are expected, including a provision selecting candidates to the governing bodies and the committees based on new eligibility criteria.

The full Governance report can be reviewed here:

https://www.aiba.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Recommendations-2021-11-15-FINAL.pdf

Also read: AIBA reforms push to secure boxing's Olympic future: polls in 2022, liaison officer to work with IOC

Lausanne, Nov 27 (Boxing news) Desperate to save boxing's future as an Olympic sport, the suspended International Boxing Association (AIBA) has accepted crucial governance reforms suggested by an independent group, including holding elections by June next year, elevating the Secretary General's role and appointing a liaison officer to handle its troubled equation with the IOC.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), which suspended AIBA in 2019 and conducted the Tokyo Olympics boxing event through a task force, has reiterated "that serious concerns about AIBA's governance, finances and refereeing and judging remain" and the future of boxing in the 2024 Paris Games is not secure.

The AIBA has responded by stating that it would do all that the IOC demands of it.

"...the Board of Directors is recommending to the Congress that elections shall be conducted no later than 30 June 2022," the AIBA stated.

"As an option, these elections may take place during the AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships in Istanbul, that were rescheduled to May 2022, however, the exact date to be determined by the Board on 31 December 2021 at the latest," it added.

The decision to implement the reforms came ahead of the AIBA Extraordinary Congress on December 12 at a meeting of its Board of Directors.

The Board unanimously approved the recommendations and constitutional amendments in a report by independent Governance Reform Group (GRG), led by Professor Ulrich Haas.

"Throughout the last year, AIBA has made continued progress in terms of sporting and financial integrity as well as good governance. Professor Haas and his team of independent legal experts have pointed us in the right direction, so that we can achieve a level of governance that is best practice for international federations," said AIBA President Umar Kremlev.

"I also urge all AIBA Member Federations to study the recommended changes and make a decision with the best interests of the future for our sport and our athletes in mind. Boxing should always come first," he added.

The enhancement of Secretary General's role would include assigning the responsible person the tasks of a CEO.

"...a person who not only administrates, but leads and manages AIBA's affairs," and to be overseen by the President.

"...the Secretary General should be, in principle, the sole legal representative of AIBA," the recommendation stated.

Among other proposed reforms, the independent GRG has recommended reducing the number of AIBA Board of Directors, and the world body has responded by agreeing to limit the size of the Board to 18.

Comprehensive eligibility checks will be in place to "ensure the best possible leadership team." The developments are in addition to the establishment of an independent Boxing Integrity Unit which will be empowered to address competition manipulation, abuse, harassment, eligibility checks of election candidates and other issues.

The GRG also proposed establishing a new interdisciplinary Strategy Committee to review AIBA's long-term strategy, develop mid-term and short-term goals.

"The proposed constitutional amendments aim to significantly improve AIBA's governance with focus on integrity, democracy, checks and balances," said Professor Haas.

"While they are yet to be approved by the Congress, this decision by the AIBA Board of Directors to adopt the measures proposed by our group can certainly serve as a basis for real and positive change," he added.

Also Read : AIBA President Umar Kremlev pledges to support grassroot development of boxing in Nepal

News Source : PTI

(Boxing news) Umar Kremlev, AIBA’s President has made an official visit to Kāthmāndau, Nepal and has held several meetings with government officials such as resident Ms. Bidhya Devi Bhandari, Minister of Sports and Youth Mr. Maheshor Jung Gahatraj and Prime Minister Mr. Sher Bahadur Deuba as part of AIBA Financial Support Program (FSP) for supporting developing countries.

“Everyone who gathered here today, is committed to developing our sport. We aim to see more and more champions appear, more competitions emerge,” Mr. Kremlev said. “I want to express sincere gratitude to the government of the country, the Ministry of Sport, the Nepal Boxing Federation for their support in developing sport for young people actively all across the country.”

So far, AIBA has helped boxers from 18 countries participate in the 2021 Men’s World Boxing Championships which took place in Belgrade from October to November. Mr. Kremlev assured that a tight collaboration will be implemented between AIBA and Nepal with joint training camps, exchanging experience between coaches and judges, and ensuring an additional qualification programme for Nepali sports officials. The possibility of hosting the Asian Championships in Nepal was also discussed at a venue that can seat 20,000 spectators.

“Here in Nepal, we are developing sports for health and various activities, which unfortunately due to the pandemic are not now at full speed. We are thankful to the AIBA President for coming and contributing to the development of boxing all around the globe and in our country in particular. Nepal has great natural opportunities for training camps to be arranged at the highest point of the earth,” Minister of Sports and Youth Mr. Maheshor Jung Gahatraj stressed.  

“I am glad to see how the AIBA President is developing boxing. Boxing is the most popular sport in Nepal and it would be great if AIBA could provide assistance for educational programs in schools and institutes. I am sure that we will be successful in our cooperation. From our side we will provide full support to the Nepal National Federation,” Prime Minister Deuba concluded. 

The AIBA President also visited “Late Prakasha Dahal Memorial'' and the 2nd National Men’s and Women’s Boxing Championships which is set to take place from 15th to 19th November to personally greet fans and gift sports equipment. Mr. Kremlev also met up with President of Nepal Ms. Bidhya Devi Bhandari to discuss gender equality in sports and the development of boxing in the country.

“I want to express big gratitude for taking care of the development of sports and personal involvement of the Head of Nepal. From the AIBA side we fully understand the importance of the gender equity question and work at this issue very actively to create equal conditions for men and women in boxing. For example, we created the same level of prize money for Men’s and Women’s Championships,” Mr. Kremlev said.

“Boxing is one of the most popular sports in Nepal. From our side we will provide all kinds of support for the development of sports in the country and to work more closely with Nepal Boxing Federation. We really appreciate the ideas to implement special boxing programs to schools and institutes, to create training camps in the mountains and to hold significant Asian tournaments here,” President Bhandari stated.

Also read: AIBA women's world boxing set to be postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic