The International Boxing Association works to put its boxers first, whether that is through technology to keep them safe, increased opportunities for those in positions of hardship or through gender equality. 

New technology

The International Boxing Association is trialling new technology to help boxers stay safe in the ring.

New impact-sensing mouthguards were tested at the European Youth Championships in Bulgarian capital Sofia in April 2022.

With the assistance of artificial intelligence, impacts on the mouthguards recorded data which can be used for research into brain health.

It will also help support mechanisms for verifying the judging of bouts.

The mouthguards are fitted with "accelerometers, gyroscopes and transmitters", which allow for the data to be studied in real time.

In the future, it is hoped this data can be used to inform ringside doctors while bouts are still ongoing. 

Real time data analysis can also influence the judging of bouts, as when both boxers are wearing mouthguards the data can have a close correlation with scoring.  

 "IBA has studied developments on sport's understanding of head impacts and brain health closely," said Dr Ioannis Filippatos, the President of the European Boxing Confederation and an IBA Board of Directors member, who also heads up the organisation's Medical Committee.

"The research is at a very early stage, and the pilot project was aimed at understanding the best way to gather more data in the future. 

"Meanwhile, IBA will continue to review our measures around head impacts and brain health - including the use of the Standard Concussion Assessment Tool for athletes, return to play protocols and the relevant provisions of the IBA Medical Rules." 

Back to top

Fair Chance Team

On September 7, 2022, World Fair Play Day, the International Boxing Association extended its Fair Chance Team initiative.

The team was created by the IBA in response to global humanitarian crises around the world.

One of the organisation's aims is for everyone to have the chance to compete in boxing without any unlawful discrimination.

Fair Chance supports fighters who may have fled their homes or have refugee status, so are therefore not in a position to represent their countries.

At the Men's World Championships in November 2021, the Fair Chance Team competed for the first time. 

Team members were then honoured as the winners of the AIBA Fair Play Moment 2021, with the award presented by Gabor Deregan of the International Fair Play Committee.

Boxers from Fair Chance were later in action at the 2022 Women's World Championships in Istanbul.

As the initiative has been extended, boxers who want to become part of the team can fill in the following form.

Back to top

Women in Boxing

Gender equality is one of the International Boxing Association's top priorities. 

The IBA Women's Committee represents the organisation's female boxers and has spearheaded a number of initiatives.

This includes the IBA women's boxing questionnaire which was designed to record the number or female referees, judges, technical officials, cutpersons, doctors and administrators from the various national federations.

Another move is the appointment of five women's continental ambassadors.

They will all promote women's boxing at continental level, as well as at specific international sports forums and through other promotional campaigns.

Also created is the Outstanding Women in Boxing Awards, which took place for the first time alongside the 2022 Women's World Championships in Istanbul.

The Awards celebrate the success of women in boxing in various roles, taking into consideration their lifetime achievements.

An important initiative is the Women Coaches Manual, which has been finalised by the Women's Committee.

This is divided into five sections and shares powerful stories which have the aim of inspiring future generations of female boxers.

The manual was presented to the participants of the Women’s Open Forum which took place in Istanbul on May 17, and will be distributed among National Federations.

Istanbul also hosted the first seminar of the "Women's Community of Practice" initiative.

This involved female coaches who shared experiences and took advantage of networking opportunities.

It was followed by training sessions for female boxers, with future events planned for referees, judges, technical officials, doctors and administrators. 

The "Invisible to Visible" project shares stories of prominent women in boxing who speak in a series of interviews, detailing their unique journeys in the sport.

These women also share their experiences on social media as part of a bid to promote boxing to a younger audience, and to demonstrate how females from different backgrounds can find success in the sport.