The UAE Boxing Federation has said it will submit a request to join World Boxing after receiving approval from the National Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Sports.
The decision comes after the International Olympic Committee's Executive Board recommended that boxing remains part of the programme for the 2028 Los Angeles Games, following an earlier decision on February 27 to recognise World Boxing as the sport’s international federation.
Hassan Al Hammadi, secretary-general of the UAE Boxing Federation, told the WAM news agency that they were among the first of the Arab and Asian federations to support the newly established international body.
"We have obtained official approvals, and the membership application will be submitted before the end of this week in preparation for joining World Boxing," Al Hammadi said.
“The Boxing Federation is always striving to enhance the presence of the UAE in various international sports organisations and to participate in global events, including the Olympic Games, in accordance with the required rankings and standards, to fulfill every athlete’s dream of representing their country with pride."
The creation of a new global body was the biggest hurdle to the sport's inclusion in the next Games.
The boxing tournaments at the last two Games were organised by the IOC, which suspended the International Boxing Association (IBA) in 2019 over governance issues and then withdrew recognition for it completely in 2023.
The IOC had indicated boxing would only be included in 2028 if a new partner federation was identified. The executive board’s decision will need to be ratified at the IOC Session, which runs from Tuesday to Thursday in Greece.
On Monday, outgoing IOC president Thomas Bach said at a press conference: “After the provisional recognition of World Boxing in February we were in the position to take this decision.
“I’m very confident the [IOC] Session will approve it, so that all boxers of the world then have certainty that they can participate in the Olympic Games in LA 2028 if their national federation is recognised by World Boxing.”
The IOC later clarified that federations would need to be members of World Boxing at the time of the qualification events, with IOC sports director Kit McConnell saying he anticipated there would now be an “acceleration” of national federations joining.
The World Boxing website currently lists 84 federations as members.
The IOC was at loggerheads with the IBA during last year's Olympics in Paris over the participation of two boxers, Algeria's Imane Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting.
The IBA had disqualified both fighters from the previous year’s World Championships for allegedly failing gender eligibility tests.
The criteria for women's boxing at Paris, overseen by the IOC, was on stated gender in passports, the same protocol that was used for the 2016 Rio Games. Both Khelif and Lin went on to win gold medals in Paris.
Khelif is taking legal action over reports she has male XY chromosomes and insists she was born a woman and lives as a woman.
The World Boxing website states that its sex eligibility policy is under revision by the medical committee.
World Boxing president Boris van der Vorst described the IOC executive board’s decision as “very significant and important” and “takes the sport one step closer to being restored to the Olympic programme”.
He added: “I have no doubt it will be very positively received by everyone connected with boxing, at every level throughout the world, who understands the critical importance to the future of the sport of boxing continuing to remain a part of the Olympic Movement.
“World Boxing understands that being part of the Olympic Games is a privilege and not a right and I assure the IOC that if boxing is restored to the programme for LA28, that World Boxing is completely committed to being a trustworthy and reliable partner that will adhere to and uphold the values of the Olympic Charter.”
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
more from Janine di Giovanni
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
DUNE%3A%20PART%20TWO
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Denis%20Villeneuve%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Timothee%20Chamalet%2C%20Zendaya%2C%20Austin%20Butler%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Banthology: Stories from Unwanted Nations
Edited by Sarah Cleave, Comma Press
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
More coverage from the Future Forum
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl
Power: 153hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: Dh99,000
On sale: now
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
TICKETS
For tickets for the two-day Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) event, entitled Dubai Invasion 2019, on September 27 and 28 go to www.meraticket.com.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m, Winner SS Lamea, Saif Al Balushi (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer).
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,400m, Winner AF Makerah, Sean Kirrane, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m, Winner Maaly Al Reef, Brett Doyle, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh90,000 1,600m, Winner AF Momtaz, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m, Winner Morjanah Al Reef, Brett Doyle, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 2,200m, Winner Mudarrab, Jim Crowley, Erwan Charpy
More on animal trafficking
Eyasses squad
Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)
Arushi Holt (vice-captain) – wing defence / centre (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Olivia Petricola (vice-captain) – centre / wing attack (Dubai English Speaking College)
Isabel Affley – goalkeeper / goal defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Jemma Eley – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Alana Farrell-Morton – centre / wing / defence / wing attack (Nord Anglia International School)
Molly Fuller – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Caitlin Gowdy – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Noorulain Hussain – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai College)
Zahra Hussain-Gillani – goal defence / goalkeeper (British School Al Khubairat)
Claire Janssen – goal shooter / goal attack (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Eliza Petricola – wing attack / centre (Dubai English Speaking College)
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
The five pillars of Islam
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
More on Quran memorisation:
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
