However, the IBA reaffirmed its commitment to helping athletes from boycotting nations who wished to compete.
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The International Boxing Association (IBA) recently stated that it had offered financial assistance to more than 20 countries in order for them to compete in the Women’s World Boxing Championships 2023 in New Delhi, India. Colombia, Nepal, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Venezuela were among the countries that received this funding. Via this financial support, a number of boxers from these nations were able to compete in the championships, including Ingrit Valencia, Angie Paola Valdés, Camila Gabriela Camilo Bravo, and Yeni Arias, who have all earned medals for Colombia and will face off in the semi-finals.
Despite the participation of these nations, a total of 11 nations boycotted the competition in opposition to the participation of boxers from Belarus and Russia. However, the IBA reaffirmed its commitment to helping athletes from boycotting nations who wished to compete. Megan de Cler was one such athlete who accepted the IBA’s invitation to participate under a neutral flag after the Dutch Boxing Federation decided against attending the World Championships. This move, however, infuriated the federation’s chairman, Boris van der Vorst, who charged the IBA of compromising his governing body’s power and independence. Despite winning her subsequent fights, De Cler was eliminated from the light welterweight division in the round of 16.
Read more: Dutch boxer Megan de Cler: ‘I am not playing for the Netherlands, I am here on my own
Afghanistan, Guyana, Guatemala, Moldova, Eswatini, Sierra Leone, Dominican Republic, Jordan, Haiti, Slovakia, Mali, and Cameroon were among the other countries to benefit from the IBA’s support programme. Umar Kremlev, president of the IBA, highlighted that the primary objective of the financial support programme was to establish favorable conditions for athletes to compete.
Umar Kremlev, the president of the IBA stated, “Our main goal is to create good conditions for our athletes to compete. The IBA financial support program aims to help smaller and less fortunate countries to compete internationally and receive necessary experience from major tournaments.” “For those nations that have already been competing at this level, it’s a huge chance to be on the podium, despite financial issues. Step by step after their debuts, countries that are here for the first time will develop faster in boxing,” he further added.
The Women’s World Boxing Championships, which began on March 1 and will end on March 26, attracted more than 300 athletes from 65 different nations. As part of the lucrative $2.4 million prize pool for the competition, the gold medalists in each of the 12 categories will receive $100,000. While the silver medalists will receive an amount of $50,000, the money set for the bronze medalists is $25,000.
Read more: Women’s World Boxing Championships 2023: Find out how the nations have fared
