The championships that are held in New Delhi, India between March 15 and March 31 will be monitored by an International Olympic Committee (IOC) led by the prestigious PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) company that offers business advisory services.
The championships will host 300 professional boxers from over 65 countries worldwide. Registrations for the event were announced last December, with competitions to be held in the 12 different weight categories ranging from 48 kg (105 lbs) to +81 kg (178 lbs).
The Decision, Part of IBA’s Compliance Assessment
The decision to have the championships monitored by the IOC led by PwC has come as a result of the compliance evaluation procedure of ongoing monitoring of the IBA as well as its continuous governance reform, methodology, and activities.
IBA’s is highly committed to guaranteeing the highest levels of integrity in selecting and assessing procedures of all technical officials.
This commitment together with the evaluation of its reform efforts should help lift the suspension of its recognition by the IOC right in time for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
IOC has recommended that boxing should not be included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics under IBA, and the results of the freshly announced monitoring via PwC might lead to a change of heart as well.
The IBA expects the PwC committee to observe IBA’s “best practices regarding technical and competition rules, specifically its heralded bout review process.”
The PwC crew will work in parallel with the IBA during the championships in New Delhi, along with Prof. Richard McLaren and his globally recognized McLaren Independent Investigation Team chosen by the IBA to complete the background vetting checks and additional investigations and assessments of the competition officials.
The same team will also be responsible for inspecting the IBA Men’s World Boxing Championship 2023 which will be held between May 1 and May 14 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The World Championships, “A Testament to Indian Boxing’s Unparalleled Credentials”
As explained by the Boxing Federation of India’s president Ajay Singh, the World Championships are a “testament to Indian boxing’s unparalleled credentials”.
Singh further explained that the federation was fully equipped and ready to deliver a spectacular boxing experience with the IBA team by their side while expressing confidence that the upcoming World Championships “will help boost boxing” at a global level.
Excitement was also expressed regarding the Indian boxers that are expected to kickstart their careers in the international boxing scene. Gold medal winners will receive $100,000 in cash.
Silver medal winners will scoop up a cash prize of $50,000 while bronze medallists will be granted $25,000. The total prize fund for the championships has been capped at $2.4 million.