"World Boxing (WB) welcomes the decision by CAS to revoke the recognition of the International Boxing Association (IBA) and the subsequent comments made by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stating that it wishes to work with a new International Federation," the organisation commented.

The WB's comments follow last Tuesday's decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to reject the IBA's appeal against the IOC's decision to revoke its international recognition. The WB said: "The CAS decision, the TAS decision and the IOC comments send a clear and unequivocal message to all National Federations that if they want their boxers to have the opportunity to change their lives by continuing to compete in future Olympic Games, they must support and seek to join World Boxing."

WB adds that "this is the last remaining hope for the sport to maintain its Olympic status beyond Paris 2024. "There is no alternative," the organisation continues, pointing out that the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and National Boxing Federations "hold the future of Olympic boxing in their hands."

The IOC stated that, in the absence of a recognised body, "boxing will not be on the Olympic programme for Los Angeles 2028." Uncertainty about the sport after Paris 2024 is therefore total. The WB is positioning itself as the only "alternative", as it says in its statement, for all those national federations or NOCs if they want their boxers to have "an Olympic future".

For the WB, "it would be devastating for boxers at all levels around the world if boxing lost its place in the Olympic Games". This organisation believes that 'without the Olympic Games, boxing and boxers will suffer'."The statement, in which the WB expresses its position on recent events, adds that if boxing is removed from the Olympic programme, "there will be fewer people involved in the sport at grassroots level and fewer opportunities for elite boxers."

WB concludes his presentation by describing the situation as "urgent and time is of the essence". And he points to the leaders of the national boxing federations because "they now have a decision of paramount importance to make and we urge all those who care about boxers and the future of the sport to apply to join and support World Boxing."

The IOC also went on record on Wednesday as to who they believe has the solution. It is now in the hands of 6the National Boxing Federations and their NOCs. The IOC has given them a deadline for them to find a recognised body. At the LA28 Olympic Games, boxing is currently not included in the sports programme. To remedy this situation, the IOC must have an international federation associated with boxing by the beginning of 2025.

Meanwhile, the IBA, which "received the CAS decision with disappointment" and understood that "its initiatives have been overlooked by both the IOC and CAS", also concluded this Wednesday that it "will refrain from making any further comments until the CAS decision has been thoroughly analysed by its legal experts". Once this has been done, the organisation will be in a position to decide on an appeal to the Swiss Federal Supreme Court.