It’s now twelve o’clock to pull a folder out of a drawer full of dusty clichés. And maybe it’s five past twelve, according to Boris van der Vorst. Whatever the exact timing, according to the president of the Dutch Boxing Federation, it is not too late to save his sport’s international prestige.
And so he presents himself today as the leader of the newly formed world boxing association World Boxing in London. An association that aims to offer an alternative to the current International Boxing Association (IBA), headed by controversial Russian Umar Kremlev. Primary goal: “Maintain boxing’s Olympic status.”
Van der Vorst (50) calls the start of World Boxing a necessary evil. Ever since corruption scandals at the Rio 2016 Olympic boxing tournament surfaced that falsified the results of eleven fights and ultimately suspended 36 referees, the sport has been in an “existential crisis,” he says. He implicitly summed it up: “There is a wrong leadership culture within the IBA.”
According to Van der Vorst, world boxing led by Kremlev, a confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is rapidly advancing into the abyss. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended IBA 2019 and then hosted the Olympic boxing tournament in Tokyo. Next year will be no different in Paris.
Kremlev was unaffected by this move. It won Gazprom as the main sponsor of the IBA. According to reports, the controversial Russian state-owned company transfers 20 million euros per year. Earlier this year, the Women’s World Championship was held in New Delhi. In complete violation of the policy of the IOC, Russian and Belarusian boxers were allowed to compete under their own flags in the Indian metropolis.
“The urgency of preserving Olympic status is not systematically recognized by the IBA. The IOC sent several letters to the IBA leadership. The need to organize the sport differently to the leading boxing nations is nonetheless important.” becomes insufficiently themed.”
“We are pleased that the IOC has taken charge and that boxing is on the Olympic calendar for now. But given where we are now, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before boxing disappears from the games. It is not yet included in the Los Angeles 2028 program.”
New binding required
As a fistfight master, Van der Vorst saw only one solution. “There had to be an alternative world boxing association that took everything seriously as soon as possible. Organizes fair competitions whose results are not questionable, and is financially transparent. Things that are not done in IBA.”
“The creation of World Boxing is a necessary step to get boxing taken seriously by the IOC again. Only then can sport remain part of the Olympic movement.”
It remains to be seen in time whether IOC World Boxing will actually ratify in favor of the IBA. “I can imagine it would be nice to have an alternative to the IOC now. The expectation is that the IOC will not hold the third consecutive Olympic boxing tournament itself. In that case, there must be another world boxing federation that can be taken back.”
Van der Vorst emphasizes that it’s all about the future of boxing. “We are especially looking forward to LA 2028 and beyond. World Boxing wants boxing to maintain Olympic status not only for this generation of athletes, but for generations to come. World Boxing aims to be recognized at the Olympics before the end of 2023. To reach the IOC.”
According to Van der Vorst, there is no other option. “The alienation between the IBA and the IOC is increasing. Such a World Cup in New Delhi where Russians and Belarusians compete only under their own flag is pure propaganda. In line with the position of NOC*NSF and the Dutch government, we distance ourselves from such a politically colorful event.”
“This World Championship said it all about the current state of boxing. It is only a matter of time before the IOC completely withdraws recognition of the IBA. We want to pass this moment. The IBA is on a collision course with the IOC. And that is impossible for us.”
the wrath of kremlev
Van der Vorst knew in advance that the creation of World Boxing would incur the wrath of the Kremlev. According to him, the Russian has enough experience in intimidating his opponents. “The coming months will not be without fights,” he predicts. Shrugging: “No different.”
“There will be heavyweights by the IBA. I’m sure there will be reprisals. What will I consider? What not? In recent years we have seen what IBA can do.” It is unacceptable or to eliminate the unacceptable opponents of the President at international conferences. manipulations. That kind of stuff. As the opposition, we are dealing with a special organization.”
However, Van der Vorst’s first concern is that enough countries, besides the United Kingdom and the United States, will participate in world boxing. Registration will open in May. Or will this happen? “This is what I expected. I think there is no other way to save the sport. Especially not as long as the current board is in office within the IBA.”
Source: NOS

I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.