The British boxing team has confirmed that it will not compete in the upcoming world championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, due in part to the fact that teams from Russia and Belarus will be allowed to compete.
On Tuesday, GB Boxing issued a statement criticising the International Boxing Association’s (IBA) decision to allow teams from Russia and Belarus to compete under their national flags. The decision “contravenes” the International Olympic Committee’s call for international sport federations to limit Russian and Belarussian athletes to competing only as neutral individuals, according to the UK team.
“GB Boxing condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and expresses solidarity with the Ukrainian people, boxers, coaches, and officials,” the statement said. The team also expressed “concerns about the future of boxing’s place on the Olympic programme” in its decision to skip the world championships.
GB Boxing, on the other hand, announced that it will compete in upcoming tournaments in Finland, Turkey, and the Czech Republic. Last month’s IBA-organized women’s world championships in New Delhi were also boycotted by the UK team. The men’s competition will take place in Tashkent from April 30 to May 14.
“GB Boxing is committed to providing the best possible preparation for our boxers in the lead-up to Paris 2024, and will continue to collaborate with national federations and tournament organisers to provide training and competition opportunities in advance of the Olympic qualifying events, which begin in June 2023 with the European Games in Poland,” the statement said.
The IBA’s decision not to ban Russian and Belarussian teams has “widened the gap between the IBA and the Olympic movement,” according to GB Boxing. The IOC was already putting pressure on the IBA to resolve “significant, longstanding issues over sporting integrity, governance, transparency, and financial management” in order to “protect boxing’s place on the Olympic programme,” according to the team.
The IBA was barred from competing in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and boxing was dropped from the preliminary programme for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, pending IOC reforms. Last month, the International Amateur Boxing Federation welcomed an IOC monitoring team to its women’s world championships, stating that the oversight would verify its reform efforts and help ensure its recognition by the Olympic organiser ahead of Paris 2024.
