India to host boxing Worlds

New Delhi: In a first for Indian boxing, the country will host the men’s World Championship for the first time in 2021 besides next year’s women’s World Championship, the International Boxing Association, Aiba, announced on Tuesday at the end of a two-day executive committee meeting in Moscow.

Expectedly, the Indian boxing fraternity reacted with elation and hoped it would herald a new era for the sport.

“We are delighted to have the Aiba Men’s World Championships 2019 confirmed for Sochi, and equally excited to announce New Delhi as host city in 2021 as the Boxing Federation of India continues to show its commitment to developing the sport,” Aiba president Ching Kuo Wu said in a statement.

India has never conducted the men’s World Championship but has played host to the 2006 women’s mega-event. The major men’s boxing events hosted by India have been the 1990 World Cup in Mumbai and the 2010 Commonwealth Championships in New Delhi.

“It is the first time ever that a country has been awarded two major Championships, that too back to back. The presentation made by us was adjudged the best by the Aiba president,” Boxing Federation of India president Ajay Singh said.

“Aiba expects India to be a major powerhouse for boxing and getting these championships is a giant leap in that direction,” he added.

The development is significant given that India had a federation in place only last year after serving suspension and termination between 2012 and 2016 owing to administrative wrangling.

After analysing the presentations, the Aiba executive committee unanimously awarded the 2019 women’s World Championships to Trabzon, Turkey. The Aiba 2018 Congress was awarded to the Russian capital, Moscow.

“The strength of all of the bids we have seen today is the clearest indication yet of Aiba’s successful efforts to amplify the prestige of its World Championships even further,” Dr Wu stated.