Olympic return imminent for boxing

MANILA, Philippines — A final vote to recognize World Boxing as the new international governing body for the sport by the IOC General Assembly will restore the fight game in the 2028 LA Olympic calendar and ABAP chairman Ricky Vargas said yesterday the culmination of a long struggle is a triumph where the Philippines played a major role.

IOC suspended AIBA on issues of governance, integrity and lack of financial transparency in 2019 then took over the supervision of boxing at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics. It removed the sport from the LA Olympics but left the door open for reinstatement if a new international federation is formed and accredited by IOC. Disgruntled AIBA members convened to organize World Boxing in April 2023 with an initial roster of six nations.

Last Thursday, the IOC Executive Board granted provisional recognition to World Boxing which is now composed of 78 countries. The IOC General Assembly will meet on March 18-21 in Greece and is expected to recognize World Boxing with finality, returning the sport to the LA Olympics.

“ABAP believed and stood firmly with change,” said Vargas, board member of World Boxing and its affiliate Asian Boxing.

“We are founders of World Boxing which was established when AIBA was still recognized as an international federation. We were the first to join in Asia and we were alone but did not waver. We resigned from AIBA and risked being banned from joining sponsored competitions. But the Asian Boxing Confederation embraced us and kept us in their fold. Funding from PSC and being delisted as POC member were at risk because we weren’t aligned with an international federation. We explained why and got their support. Now, Asia is with World Boxing which is finally an international federation.”

Vargas paid tribute to ABAP’s late president Ed Picson who spearheaded the country’s affiliation with World Boxing. “We did it, Ed,” said Vargas.

ABAP secretary-general Marcus Manalo called the IOC Executive Board’s provisional recognition “a huge step, one step closer to boxing’s return to the Olympics.” He said the final vote will be made by the IOC General Assembly. “Hopefully, it will just be a matter of formality,” he said.

Vargas said he received a message from World Boxing president Boris van der Vorst who reached out to board members expressing congratulations and thanks. “We can celebrate but not too big yet because boxing still has to be brought back on the Olympic program and the real work for that starts now,” said Van der Vorst.