The World Boxing Executive Board approved the applications of nine national boxing federations to join the organization. Now, 168 countries hold membership, including Russia and Belarus, accepted under particular conditions.
World Boxing, headed by Gennadiy Golovkin, officially confirmed the endorsement of new members from Europe, Africa, and Oceania.
«The Executive Board of World Boxing has endorsed nine new applications to join the organization from the National Federations for boxing in Belarus, Cyprus, Mozambique, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Tanzania, Tonga and Zambia. The endorsements mean that World Boxing now has 168 member National Federations made up of 123 ‘Full Members’, one ‘Associate Member’ and 44 ‘Endorsed Members’,» the organization said in a statement.
Russian and Belarusian boxers are expected to compete under neutral athlete status, restricting them from using national symbols.
«World Boxing will seek guidance from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on the conditions for participation in its competitions. It is expected these will follow the AIN procedure — ‘Athlètes Individuels Neutres’ (Individual Neutral Athletes) — deployed by the IOC for Russian and Belarusian athletes who competed at the recent 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan Cortina,» the statement read.
Along with a neutral status, the athletes will be assessed for the absence of ties with military structures.
«World Boxing will also conduct a series of checks to ensure that Russian and Belarusian boxers who want to participate in its competitions do not have a history of supporting the war in Ukraine and are not members of clubs linked to the army or police force,» the statement read.
Competition intensifying
At recent World Boxing tournaments, the main competition for gold medals has been between the national teams of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. But now, Russian boxers will have the opportunity to pose a serious challenge to them. Experts note that these three teams are the strongest in amateur boxing. This was demonstrated at the IBA World Boxing Championships, where Russia’s team dominated, finishing at the top of the unofficial medal standings while competing under its flag.
Context
World Boxing is an international federation established in 2023 to maintain boxing’s Olympic status after the International Olympic Committee formally derecognized the International Boxing Association (IBA) in 2024 following a series of scandals. World Boxing was formed as an alternative to the association led by Russia’s Umar Kremlev.
At the 2025 World Boxing Championships in Liverpool, organized by World Boxing, Kazakhstan dominated, finishing at the top of the unofficial medal table.
In late November 2025, Golovkin was officially appointed president of World Boxing. His election took place at the organization’s Congress, which was held in Rome.
