NEW DELHI: India will host the women’s world boxing championships in 2023 in New Delhi, two years after the country was stripped of the hosting rights of the men’s event for not paying the requisite fee to the global governing body.
India has never conducted the men’s world championship but it will be the third time that the elite women’s competition will be held in the country having conducted the championships in 2006 and 2018 in New Delhi.
India also hosted the women’s youth world championships in 2017.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the International Boxing Association (IBA) and the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) in the presence of IBA President Umar Kremlev and BFI President Ajay Singh here on Wednesday.
“The women’s world championship will be held in Delhi in March 2023,” Singh told reporters.
“Women’s boxing has shown massive improvement, we are among the top countries in the world. Last edition we were number 3 and we aim to improve that.
“We are expecting participation from about 75-100 countries, about 1,500 boxers and coaches.”
The championship will also see the introduction of a historic bout review system.
“The world championship in India will be the first event in which the review system based on technology will be used. That is any dispute can be reviewed during the bout itself,” Singh said.
The event will also increase in prize money with a total prize pool of approximately Rs 19.50 crore (USD 2.4 million). The gold medallists will be awarded with approximately Rs 81 lakh (USD 100,000).
The hosting rights of the event to India comes as a significant development as BFI had lost the hosting rights of the 2021 event to Serbia after failing to pay the host fee, prompting the International Boxing Association, then known as (AIBA), to terminate its agreement.
At the last edition of the women’s event in Turkey, India had returned with a haul of three medals, including Nikhat Zareen’s gold in the flyweight category.
New AI-based review system to be introduced
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The IBA has developed a new review system based on artificial intelligence which will be used for the first time during the women’s world championship next year.
“It will be based on artificial intelligence, we will have four cameras, doing analysis from every corner of the punches. It will be monitored by an evaluator and if something is unclear they can come while the bout is going,” IBA Secretary General George A. Yerolimpos told PTI.
“We will have a lot of officials monitoring it, so no one can bypass the system,” he added.
The IBA Secretary General said one of the reasons India was picked as the host was because it is a digital country.
“India was selected not only because it is a very big country but also because it a digital country. We (IBA) are fully digitalised now and this is giving us fast results.”
Boxing will feature in the LA Olympics
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In a major blow, boxing has been left out of the initial list of sports for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles but IBA President Kremlev is confident that the sport will be included in the roaster later.
“Don’t’ worry. It will be included in the program. Let the Paris Olympic pass then we will work on that,” Kermlev said.
“The IBA has accomplished 100 per cent of the recommendations proposed by the International Olympic Committee and the new leadership is open to implementing reforms and IBA is 100 per cent transparent,” he added.
“There is no question of boxing being left out. The world wants boxing to be part of the Olympic movement and it is one of the big draws of the Olympics.”
Mercedes for Nikhat if she defend World Championship title
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In a light moment, Nikhat Zareen said if she defends her world championship title next year she will buy a Mercedes with the prize money and invite IBA President Kremlev to her home city of Hyderabad.
“With the cash prize I wanted to buy a new house in Hyderabad and hopefully I will win next year and then with that money I will buy a mercedes and will invite IBA President to Hyderabad and we will go for a ride,” Nikhat said. The Russian sports functionary was quick to reply: “If Nikhat wins the world championship I will gift Nikhat a mercedes,” Kremlev said. (PTI)