MOSCOW, November 9. /TASS/. /TASS/. The 2023 IBA (International Boxing Association) Women’s World Boxing Championship will be held in the Indian capital of New Delhi, IBA President Umar Kremlev announced on his Telegram channel on Wednesday.
The exact dates of the tournament will be announced later.
"We have inked a long-awaited agreement with our Indian friends and it stipulates that India will host the 2023 Women’s World Boxing Championship," Umarov stated.
"India has an enormous number of boxing champions, particularly among women, and this is why I’m particularly glad that the championship will take place here [in India] and very anxious to see it," the IBA chief added.
The IBA’s press office confirmed on its official website later in the day that "India has been named the host country for the 2023 IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships."
President of the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) Ajay Singh was quoted by the statement as saying: "We are delighted that New Delhi has been named the host for this tournament."
"A tournament of this stature also helps empower our women, giving them the belief to take up the sport," the BFI chief added.
"In a short span of time, President Kremlev has been able to bring a new level of dynamism to the sport. IBA and BFI share the same goals of taking boxing to the next level, and we are really looking forward to working together," Singh added.
The IBA statement also quoted Kremlev as saying that: "India is very passionate about boxing and conducting the World Championships here will be the perfect opportunity to celebrate the innumerable victories as well as inspire many more women to take up the sport and popularize the sport more than ever."
The 2022 Women’s World Boxing Championship was hosted by Turkey’s Istanbul between May 8 and 20. Boxers representing Russia and Belarus were sidelined from that tournament due to the IBA’s decision in regard to the developments in Ukraine.
However, on October 5, the IBA lifted its ban on the participation of Russian and Belarusian boxers in international tournaments allowing them to compete under the national flags of their countries.
On February 28, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments, citing Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine as the reason.
Following the IOC’s recommendations in late February, the majority of global sports federations decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.