International Boxing Day to celebrate courage, fairness, diversity of boxing

Lausanne, Switzerland, July 28 (IANS) The one-month countdown to the International Boxing Day (IBD) has begun, with the celebration taking place on August 27 worldwide. Courage, fairness and diversity of boxing will be the main values of the celebration this year.

As it is currently the 'Year of Africa', the central celebration will take place on the continent on August 27. National Federations all around the world are encouraged to organise their celebrations on-site with various activities, including training and master classes, communication between young boxers and champions as well as social initiatives.

"The more people that are involved in boxing, the better for the development of our sport," IBA president Umar Kremlev said.

"I sincerely welcome everybody to try boxing. You might never become a top-level athlete, you may even not have a real fight in the ring, it does not matter. What really matters is that boxing will give you as much as it gives to everyone involved: courage, strength, competitive spirit, self-confidence and much more. From our side, we are about ensuring the fairness of boxing, its diversity and equality to give everybody a fair chance."

"IBA is the home of boxing for everyone involved in the sport. I would like to remind everyone that boxing is a universal sport with equal opportunities. It challenges you and brings you joy and the satisfaction of overcoming yourself. People do not need much to practice boxing, it is accessible in every corner of the world," he added.

The International Boxing Day was originated by Kremlev in 2017 and transformed from a national celebration to an international one. In two years, the IBD was recognised by the Executive Committee as the International Boxing Association's official celebration, originally held on July 22.

In 2021, the International Boxing Day was rescheduled to August 27 to celebrate it within the dates of the first AIBA World Boxing Championships which took place in 1974 in Havana, Cuba.

The IBD unites all those who love boxing no matter of their age, sex, nationality, race, skin colour, beliefs etc. International Boxing Day is a global celebration of the sport of boxing in all its forms for all athletes, coaches, officials, managers, and fans. The IBD is called to unite and celebrate the sport together, it is high time people showed their love and dedication to boxing.