AIBA completes name change to IBA after 14 years

MEMBERS OF the International Boxing Association decided at the Extraordinary Congress of the organisation in Zurich, Switzerland, recently, that it would change its long-standing acronym AIBA to IBA, in keeping with a name change that took place back in 2007.

That year, it was decided that the then International Amateur Boxing Association (would cease being involved only in amateur boxing, and the word amateur was therefore removed from its name. The International Boxing Association came into being then, but there was another decision that because the acronym AIBA was well known and had been used for such a long time, it would be retained.

The acronym be changed

With the passage of time, however, views changed, and it was recommended to the congress that the acronym be changed to reflect the previous name change to International Boxing Association. After brief discussion, the proposal was put to the congress for a vote and was approved by a majority of the 107 voting delegates present.

The congress also approved several constitutional amendments, designed to improve the financial affairs of IBA, provide fair refereeing and judging in all contests, and improve governance.

It was also announced that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has cleared boxing as one of the approved sports at the Paris Olympics in 2024, and that a pathway to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles is being discussed.

sports@gleanerjm.com