BERLIN, Sept 10 (Askume) – Algerian athlete Imane Khalif won gold at the Paris Olympics amid a gender controversy while Japan joined the World Boxing Association, expanding the fledgling organisation’s membership to 44 countries.
World Boxing is positioning itself as a potential new global sports body after the International Olympic Committee derecognised AIBA last year due to financial and administrative issues .
Kalev and Taiwan’s Lin Yuting were in the news last month over their bid to qualify for the Paris Olympics after the IBA announced they were ineligible for the 2023 World Championships. The IBA said they were disqualified due to gender chromosome testing.
But she upset the International Badminton Federation by competing in the women’s category in Paris after receiving approval from the International Olympic Committee.
Both won gold medals in their respective weight categories.
“The national boxing federations of Japan and Algeria have become the latest two countries to join the World Boxing Association,” World Boxing said in a statement.
The World Boxing Association currently has 44 members, 7 of which joined after the Paris Olympics, with more countries applying for membership.
“The addition of Japan and Algeria will enhance World Boxing’s global profile by expanding our presence in Asia and Africa,” said World Boxing Chairman Boris van der Vorst.
“Their decision to join World Boxing is testament to the widespread desire for change that exists within our sport and reflects the importance we place on boxing’s place at the heart of the Olympic Movement.”
The Algerian team had protested the International Boxing Association’s (IBA) decision to ban them from last year’s world championships and welcomed the IOC’s decision to allow its athletes to compete at the Paris Games.
The International Olympic Committee has not yet included the sport in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles and has urged national boxing federations to establish a new global boxing body to replace the IBA or risk being removed from the Olympics in four years.
A decision on this is said to come in 2025.
