World Boxing, the international federation set up in April 2023 to rival the International Boxing Association (IBA), has announced a new cohort of members. Four new federations have joined the organization – Denmark, Panama, Mongolia and French Polynesia – taking World Boxing’s membership up to 16.
Denmark is the sixth European nation to join the organization, following GB Boxing, England Boxing, the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden. Panama is the sixth from the Americas, following USA Boxing, Canada, Argentina, Brazil and Honduras. Mongolia is the first member from Asia, leaving Africa as the only continent without representation in World Boxing’s membership. Mongolian boxers have won seven Olympic medals since the 1988 games in Seoul. The Boxing Federation of French Polynesia is a new organization and has therefore never been part of the IBA. It is the third Oceanian member of World Boxing, after Australia and New Zealand.
Earlier this summer, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) took the unprecedented step of withdrawing Olympic recognition of the IBA – formerly known as Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur (AIBA) – over allegations of unresolved finance, governance and ethical problems. World Boxing is seeking IOC recognition.
