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Philippines, 22 Apr 2025 |
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IBA President and CEO addressed USA President Donald Trump in an open letter PhilBoxing.com Thu, 23 Jan 2025 22 January 2025 Dear President Trump, It is with great respect that we would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations on your inauguration as the President of the United States of America. This momentous occasion marks not only a new chapter in your distinguished political career but also a pivotal moment for the United States and the global community. Your experience and vision will undoubtedly shape the future of the United States, and your decisions will profoundly influence international relations on a global level. We, along with many across the world, look forward with anticipation to the positive impact of your second term in office. We would also like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude for your strong and principled stance regarding the inadmissibility in the participation of ineligible athletes in women's boxing competition, which you expressed during the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Your commitment to ensuring fair competition and protecting the integrity of women's sports is commendable and resonates deeply within the sports community. It is vital that all athletes compete on a level playing field, and your stance in this matter is a significant step towards achieving that goal. The International Boxing Association (IBA) wholeheartedly welcomes and supports the recent legislation passed by the U.S. Congress that prohibits the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sports. This law aligns perfectly with our re-invigorated policy work, aimed at promoting gender equality and safeguarding the health and well-being of female athletes. We believe that this approach not only protects the integrity of women's sports but also fosters an environment where all athletes can thrive and compete both safely and fairly. The recent cases of heated debates over the inclusion of transgender athletes in female categories, however, highlight the urgent need for clearer international regulations and guidelines. In particular, we look towards the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which we believe will benefit from renewed leadership to take place in March this year and a willingness to adopt regulations that ensure equal opportunity for all athletes while respecting the historically understood categories of gender in sports. We believe that it is of paramount importance for the IOC and other international governing bodies to reconsider and amend their regulations in order to avoid similar incidents of dispute and inequity in the future. We sincerely hope that your leadership on this issue will energize discussions across global sports communities, encouraging pragmatic policies that respect and protect both the rights and competitive opportunities of all athletes. The International Boxing Association takes pride in being the sole governing body for boxing that respects the inherent rights of every athlete, while also valuing and respecting the unique cultures and values of each nation. IBA provides a platform for boxers to proudly represent their countries and earn a significant income through a substantial prize money fund established for all continental and World Championships. IBA ensures that all earnings are allocated to athletes, coaches, and National Federations, and that the medals won by the athletes, which they have worked towards their entire careers, are made of genuine and quality materials. Worthy of note, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and its current leadership have, unfortunately, led the Olympic movement towards a decline through their short-sighted actions and poor governance. In fact, they have announced in the last 12 months that boxing will not be part of the Olympic program for LA28; it would be very much appreciated if your team could look in to this situation. It is disappointing to see political agendas influencing sports, discrimination against athletes based on their nationality, and mishandling of funds in the Olympic movement. It is shameful that the only reward athletes receive for their countless hours of training and numerous sacrifices are medals made of low-quality metals. This is evident by the fact that many athletes have returned their medals to the IOC after the Paris 2024 Games. With the upcoming renewal of leadership in the IOC in March, IBA expects the IOC to undergo restructuring, revitalization of key positions, and significant governance reforms. This will undoubtedly revive the Olympic movement and enable the provision of fair conditions, competition opportunities, and a prosperous future for the athletes. IBA hopes that these positive changes will occur during your presidency, as we are confident that you share our belief that sport is first and foremost a tool for peace. We hope that international sports associations, including the IOC, will act as peacemakers in times of conflict. We believe that you share our vision that the athletes should be at the forefront of any sports organization and their interests should always prevail. As the President and Secretary General & CEO of the IBA, we also want to express our eagerness to collaborate with your administration on initiatives that will promote the development of boxing in the United States. We are committed to working together to create equitable practices in sports and to support the athletes who dedicate their lives to this noble pursuit. By joining forces, we can ensure that boxing continues to flourish and that the rights of all athletes are upheld in all aspects of both national and international sports. Boxing, as you well know, is an immensely popular sport in the United States, and those millions of boxing fans, your constituents, will greatly appreciate your continued efforts to promote and develop this classic sport in the amateur and professional space. The last IBA World Boxing Championships in the United States took place in 2007 in Chicago. We are very interested in bringing this event back to your country, and we are more than ready to collaborate in this regard. We are of course aware of your subject matter expertise in the sport, namely as a professional boxing promoter throughout the 80’s and 90’s, along with those fine moments of tremendous boxing history taking place within your very own prestigious Trump Plaza. It would be great to bring back those momentous historical occasions during your term of Presidential head of state and government. In addition, we sincerely hope that boxing will be part of the celebrations in Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, and will indeed become a great showcase of genuine love to the sport from American nation and fans worldwide. Thank you for your attention to these important matters. We look forward with great optimism to the possibility of working together to make the Olympic movement great again, advance the sport of boxing and to champion the rights of athletes globally.  |
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