Uzbekistan Boxing Federation on boycott of the World Cup: sport should be out of politics
Uzbekistan, the host country of the next World Boxing Championship, adheres to international sports norms and supports the principle of "sport outside politics," the Boxing Federation of the republic said on Friday.
On October 5, 2022, the International Boxing Association (IBA) announced the admission of athletes from Russia and Belarus to the competition. Athletes can perform at international tournaments under the flags of their countries, and national anthems will be played when they win. In this regard, boxing associations of several countries, including the USA, Canada, Great Britain and Ukraine, refused to take part in the World Championships because of the admission of Russians.
"Uzbekistan is a state that adheres to international sports norms and supports the principle that sport is outside politics," the federation said in a statement published on the website of the National Olympic Committee of Uzbekistan.
The organization recalled that the World Boxing Championships among adults are held and organized every two years by the IBA.
"The Uzbek side has no authority to determine whether the countries registered to participate in the competitions will perform, as well as remove or add certain national teams to the list of participants of the World Cup," the federation noted.
"At the time when our country received the right to host the upcoming major starts, there were no current restrictions on the participation of some teams or athletes in international tournaments," the organization added.
The Women's World Cup is scheduled for March 2023 in New Delhi (India), the men's tournament is scheduled to take place in May in Tashkent (Uzbekistan).
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