DUBAI: The International Boxing Association (IBA) held its Ordinary Congress and Global Boxing Forum in Dubai on December 10, 2023. The Congress saw the approval of four new National Federations, while three others were terminated.
SwissBoxing was welcomed back into the IBA family following its resignation under new leadership, which was then reversed at their last General Assembly. The US Boxing Federation, a new organization led by legendary Roy Jones Jr, was formed following the disaffiliation of USA Boxing. Oceania gained two new members as the Norfolk Island Boxing Association and Tuvalu Amateur Boxing Association were accepted.
However, the Czech Boxing Association, German Boxing Association, and Dutch Boxing Federation’s termination was approved by the Congress. Following these terminations, President Umar Kremlev said IBA will welcome other organizations from countries no longer associated with the governing body.
The Congress also discussed the IBA’s event calendar for 2024, which is set to include 16 Champions’ Nights, an increase from 10 this year. Zagreb is slated to host the first of these on January 13. IBA Secretary General and CEO Chris Roberts OBE also spoke about securing contracts with boxers and officials to bring athletes into professionalism through IBA Champions’ Night.
Positive developments were outlined as 64 courses were delivered in 2023 to 1332 students. The majority of these were 1 Star Coaches Development, with 805 students in 35 sessions. There were also 1,2, and 3 Star seminars for referees and judges, cut technicians, and technical official courses. IBA Secretary-General highlighted the Fair Chance Team and Neutral Team support from IBA as well as the launch of the Sports Management Course with the ISDE in Madrid, with 30 positions to be filled in its inaugural year.
The Congress also elected a new Board member, Lourdes Avendano Rodrigues of Bolivia, who will sit as a representative for the American Boxing Confederation.
In addition to these developments, a revolutionary new scoring system was unveiled at the fourth edition of the Global Boxing Forum in Dubai. The New Generation Scoring System, developed by UNIXON Systems in cooperation with the Japan Boxing Federation and LiveMedia Corporation, aims to improve fairness in judging. The system was showcased by IBA Secretary General and CEO Chris Roberts OBE, who acknowledged the existing scoring system’s mix of objective and subjective marking. The new style, which will be piloted and compared with the current one, is more accurate. Aside from judges watching on a screen, a separate reviewer will score the video at a slower speed.
The Congress also approved amendments to the IBA Constitution, including an update to resigning members. Resignations will take effect from January 1 following notification. Provisional members can be approved at either the IBA Extraordinary or Ordinary Congress now. Previously, this could only be done at the Ordinary Congress. There will now be space for a Normalisation Committee in National Federations and Continental Confederations who are having an internal crisis instead of suspension, allowing time for improvements rather than leading to an immediate sanction.
The IBA Congress and Global Boxing Forum in Dubai 2023 saw significant developments in the organization’s membership, event calendar, coaching and athlete support, and scoring system. The Congress also elected a new Board member and approved amendments to the IBA Constitution.
Photo Credits: IBA
Video Credits: ICARUS Sports
 held its Ordinary Congress and Global Boxing Forum in Dubai in December 2023, where four new National Federations were approved, three were terminated, and a revolutionary new scoring system was unveiled. The Congress also discussed the IBA's event calendar for 2024, highlighted positive developments in coaching and athlete support, and elected a new Board member.){kind=link}