United States and Switzerland join the IBA

DUBAI (Agencies): The United States and Switzerland return to the IBA. The decision for both National Federations to rejoin the International Boxing Association (IBA) was made by the authorities before this Saturday’s Congress in Dubai. In this way, the United States, which was the first to leave the IBA in April 2023, now with the change of president and the arrival of the famous boxer Roy Jones Jr, everything changes. Roy Jones Jr. was one of the trusted individuals of the current president of the IBA, Umar Kremlev, and took the opportunity to replace USA Boxing in the governance of the American federation.

USA Boxing resigned from the IBA in March 2023, being the first federation to join World Boxing, the alternative organization. Alongside the US, three other National Federations applied for membership in the IBA: Tuvalu, Norfolk Island, and Switzerland. These national federations were unanimously recommended by the Board of Directors to the Congress to be admitted as permanent members.

Swiss Boxing was already a member of the IBA, but also resigned in May 2023, leading to a change of president, as the federation members were unhappy with the resignation from the IBA. Now they return again. On the other hand, the IBA Board of Directors discussed the future of suspended National Federations that joined World Boxing: the Czech Republic, Germany, and the Netherlands.  All these federations requested dual membership in the IBA and World Boxing, but this request was rejected. The IBA’s position, as President Kremlev stated a few weeks ago, is that federations must decide whether they are with the IBA or with an alternative international organization. Not both. Therefore, the Board unanimously recommends to the Congress to terminate the membership of the Czech Republic, Germany, and the Netherlands federations.