Interview with the Chairman of the EUBC Passion for Boxing Commission Mr. Boris Van der Vorst

The President of the Dutch Boxing Federation and the Chairman of the EUBC Passion for Boxing Commission Mr. Boris Van der Vorst is an energetic official in Europe who supported the success of the European Shadowboxing Challenge and the developments of the Netherlands in the recent years. Mr. Boris Van der Vorst arranged also the European Boxing Gala in 2019 and his strong management skills are the way of the future developments. 

The Dutch boxers claimed medals in several AIBA and EUBC Championships and their developments are significant in the continent. Boxers from the Netherlands have great chance to be qualified and represent the country in the Tokyo Olympic Games. 

– Congratulations to the success of the European Shadowboxing Challenge. How did you come to the idea to launch such a program in Europe?

– We have been looking for a responsible and safe was of boxing that is possible despite limitations and we also wanted to offer our boxers a challenge. It was nice to see that the Dutch initiative was also received enthusiastically in Europe. As Chairman of the EUBC Passion for Boxing Commission, I created a European challenge on behalf of EUBC President Mr. Franco Falcinelli. It was a creative way to inspire the whole European and world boxing communities to be active during the Covid-19 pandemic and to show that everybody is alive and do boxing on a daily basis. Shadow boxing is the ground element of boxing and important in the technical development and perfection of the boxers and in fact it is one of the fundamentals. 

– What were your feelings about the European Shadowboxing Challenge as a judge of the online event? What were the main benefits from this excellent program?

– Boxing has to be more inclusive and has to offer for everybody at every level a challenge. Especially shadowboxing was perfect for other target groups like children, veterans and people with Parkinson disease. It was really great to see the hundreds of excellent and impressive videos from different people all over the world. It was therefore good to see fellow chairmen and even Mr. Franco Falcinelli taking part in this European Challenge. It was also an honour to be part of the jury. In the Netherlands there has even been attention for the Dutch shadow boxing championship on national television which is available in the following YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gD9v5hpmlKo

– How did Covid-19 affect the boxing life in the Netherlands?

– Boxing has a major social function in the Netherlands, by offering our community challenges and stimulating them, many boxers have remained loyal to their clubs and trainers. Due to the visibility of outside training, it has also gained us a lot of popularity and members. It is a pity that few events were possible.

– How many boxers train in the Netherlands daily in all age groups through the country?

– Our Director has made an estimate of 250,000 boxers who practice boxing at different, often recreational and fitness levels in the Netherlands. We have around 1,000 female and male boxers who attend in our national events and compete regularly.  

– What were the main challenges in the Netherlands in the recent months and how could you handle the problems?

– Create practical protocols and guidelines and remind trainers and boxers of their responsibility. Our members were informed about inspiring ideas through the National Federation and initiatives through weekly video messages.

– Are you planning to hold any national or international events in the Netherlands in the upcoming months?

– We have started with youth matches in Breda a few days ago. We are planning to hold a number of club matches, an international challenge and the Netherlands Youth National Championship in November. 

– How can the Dutch national teams train in this hard period? Can they attend any of the upcoming events?

– Our national team trains at our National Training Center with full speed and we are planning to send them to France to attend in the first Alexis Vastine Memorial Tournament which will be held in the last days of October. 

– What do you expect in the European Olympic Qualifier which will be continued in 2021 and to the next year’s events in general?

– I am expecting strong successes and the Netherlands will be qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games two women and two men boxers. These are my expectations in the Qualification Events based on the previous performance of our boxers. 

– Could you please introduce the strategic development programs of Dutch boxing especially the projects in the younger age groups? 

– From January 1, 2021, the Dutch Boxing Association will start a new and ambitious youth development program supported by the National Olympic Committee, the NSF with 3 RTCs, which should provide boxers who can participate in the next editions of the Olympic Games in 2024 and 2028.