Is IBA Women's World Boxing Championships 2023 an Olympics qualification event? Here's what we know

The upcoming tournament will see plenty of high-profile women boxers.

New Delhi, India will host the upcoming Women’s World Boxing Championships 2023 from 16 to 26 March 2023. There will be 352 participants from 74 nations taking part in the meet which is set to take place at the K. D. Jadhav Indoor Hall. However, recent controversy around the tournament means that it will not be a qualification event for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.

Recently in February 2023, the International Boxing Association (IBA) claimed that it “has taken upon itself as the international governing body of boxing to provide a clear process and pathway for its athletes to qualify for Paris 2024.” According to the IBA, the Men’s and Women’s World Boxing Championships would act as qualification events for the Olympics in Paris.

Statement by the International Olympic Committee

However, in response to the claim by IBA, a spokesperson at IOC said that “Following an investigation and report by an IOC Inquiry Committee in 2019, recognition of the International Boxing Association was suspended by the IOC. This suspension is still in force today."

The statement further stated that “As announced by the IOC in June 2022, the IBA will not be involved in Paris 2024's boxing qualifications and tournament. The only valid boxing qualification system for Paris 2024 is the one approved by the IOC EB in September 2022, published and distributed to NOCs (National Olympic Committees) and boxing national federations on 6 December 2022.”

As it stands, the qualification process for Paris 2024 will be the continental meets such as the African Games, Asian Games, European Games, Pacific Games and Pan American Games. Post the distribution of slots to athletes, IOC will conduct two world qualification tournaments to decide the remaining places ahead of the Paris 2024 games.

It is worth noting that countries such as the Czech Republic, Canada, Britain, Ireland, the USA, etc, are boycotting the 2023 IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships due to the presence of Russia and Belarus despite their involvement in the invasion of Ukraine.

A statement from IBA in response to the ban by IOC stated that “To exclude world champions from the upcoming Women's and Men's World Boxing Championships in New Delhi, India and Tashkent, Uzbekistan from qualifying for Paris 2024 is not acceptable and against the principles of sport and boxing."