World Boxing welcomed said national boxing federations into its structure this week when their applications for membership were approved by the Executive Board. These four organisations join after the recent admission of the Boxing Federation of India (BFI), which announced its intentions and decided to take a new direction, away from the International Boxing Association (IBA). Currently, there are ongoing contacts between members of the World Boxing Executive Board and various national federation leaders, taking advantage of the recent 2nd World Qualifying Tournament in Bangkok.

Barbados, Dominica, Peru and Singapore have all successfully completed the application process to join World Boxing. This usually involves a transparent and open election process to fill leadership positions. To join the organisation, federations must be formally recognised by their National Olympic Committee (NOC) or Ministry of Sport. They must also have a national and international boxing programme.

World Boxing President Boris van der Vorst said, "We are delighted to welcome Barbados, Dominica, Peru and Singapore to World Boxing. The addition of four new members strengthens our presence in the Americas and Asia. It shows that more and more countries share our vision for boxing and our commitment to the principles of integrity, honesty and excellence."

"The growth in our membership and the fact that we are currently processing applications from several countries shows the growing support for World Boxing and recognises the need for national federations to act now and join World Boxing", he said.

For Van der Vorst, who was elected as President at the first Congress of World Boxing, it is very important that boxing remains part of the Olympic movement after Paris 2024. "This is the only way that our sport will remain part of the Olympic programme in Los Angeles 2028 and beyond." 

However, this requires recognition by the IOC, which has yet to be granted and time is running out. There is currently no organisation that is recognised and therefore entitled to act as the governing body of boxing. Olympic officials have set a deadline of the end of 2024 for such an organisation to be in place.

Otherwise, boxing will be excluded from the programme. The boxing community is eagerly awaiting the Paris 2024 Games to resolve this issue in the best possible way, with the athletes, who are the main protagonists, in mind.

Since April 2023, when IBA was stripped of its IOC recognition, boxing has been managed directly by the IOC. The organisation of the pre-Olympic championships has been overseen by IOC officials. This will also be the case for the boxing competition at Paris 2024. 

Following the withdrawal of the IBA's recognition, World Boxing was created with the intention of filling the void left by the IBA. The IBA challenged this exclusion in court, but its appeal was rejected by CAS. The IBA will continue to defend its interests through all available legal means. If the IOC does not reinstate the IBA or create an alternative governing body, boxing risks being excluded from the Olympic programme.