World Boxing approves applications from National Federations in China, Turkey, Sudan, Greece, Montenegro and Slovakia to increase membership to 84 countries
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (March 12, 2025) — The Executive Board of World Boxing has approved six more applications from boxing National Federations, bringing the organization’s membership to 84 countries.
The six new members are the Chinese Boxing Federation, the Turkish Boxing Federation, the Sudan Boxing Federation, the Boxing Association of Montenegro, the Slovak Boxing Federation, and the Hellenic Boxing Federation (Greece).
The applications’ approval follows the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) recent announcement on 25 February 2025 to grant provisional Olympic recognition to World Boxing.
The new National Federations have completed a rigorous application process to join World Boxing. They are deemed to be in good standing and, through their statutes and operating processes, able to demonstrate a transparent and open election process, the existence and operation of WADA-recognized anti-doping policies and processes, evidence of independent, structured, dispute resolution and appeals processes, formal recognition by either their National Olympic Committee (NOC) or Ministry for Sport and a solid national and international boxing program.
The addition of China and Turkey increases the number of World Boxing members whose men and women won medals at the 2024 Olympics. China finished second in the boxing medal table with three golds and two silvers, while Turkey came joint eighth with three medals.
The President of World Boxing, Boris van der Vorst, said: “It is my pleasure to welcome our latest members, who further increase World Boxing’s global reach across all five Continents as we continue to grow and go from strength to strength.
“The addition of six more members to our ever-increasing membership is further evidence of the widespread support that exists across our sport for the work that World Boxing is doing to deliver a better future for boxers and ensure that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic Movement.” A full list of the 84 National Federations that are members of World Boxing can be viewed at https://worldboxing.org/
World Boxing was launched in April 2023 with the mission of ensuring that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic movement.
It held its first formal meeting with the IOC in May 2024, and on February 25, 2025, the IOC granted it provisional recognition as the International Federation (IF) within the Olympic Movement governing the sport of boxing at the world level.
