NEWSLETTER by EUBC President Franco Falcinelli March 2021

Election Time

The most outstanding news among the others is the reconfirmation of President Thomas Bach who will remain at the helm of the IOC until 2025. During his eight years of leadership he has managed to take courageous decisions and creative solutions in complicated circumstances which could have impacted IOC directly. President Bach not only managed to keep the Olympic movement united in unprecedented tough period but also achieved prestigious results including the postponement of Tokyo Olympic Games. Furthermore, among his future goals President Bach mentioned “… a strong commitment to our core value of solidarity and an appropriate and humble adaptation to the challenges of this new world. We need more solidarity within societies and between society. The world is so interdependent that no one can solve the great challenges alone”.

European Boxing Confederation also expects a number of new posts and re-elections. Transparency of the electoral procedures will be guaranteed by AIBA Observer who is to be present at all scheduled elections this year to ensure compliance with AIBA Guidelines. The elected will lead our glorious National Federations for the current Olympic cycle. Since the beginning of the year, the following leaders have been already elected: Felipe Martinez (ESP), Aliaksandr Batvinnik (BLR), Flavio D’Ambrosi (ITA), Krasimir Ininski (BUL).

The role of Presidents is hard to overestimate as they are entrusted with legal representation of their Federation. In addition, they have general responsibility for sports area, exercising top functions in planning, management and control relating to achievements of competitive results at national and international level.

 President, together with the Board of Directors, is the reference point for all the boxing clubs in a country; deals with local, regional and national institutions, in particular educational institutions to spread boxing among students; uses mass media and TV to promote boxing in a country; is involved in fundraising through sponsoring and marketing; promotes trainings and updates of coaches, referees and judges as well as managers.

In short, the Federation Presidents, together with the Boards of Directors and the General Secretaries are the main protagonists of boxing all over the world. Without them there would be no great champions, great events, our own sporting history!

In this world that often works in the shadow and with few rewards, many tie their own lives to our sport. Many people enter this world as young athletes and then follow various paths that our sport offers, such as coaches, referees and judges, managers, promoters or simply as precious collaborators in boxing gyms, regional committees, national commissions and some reach the presidency of National Federations and international organizations.

At the recent National Congress of the Italian Boxing Federation, I met Prof. Aldo Ferrara, 98 years old, a candidate for the National Council of the Federation! Aldo, who is very clear-minded and autonomous, is the most authoritative historical memory of the Italian Boxing Federation, having been a member of the Federation for 84 years! He had a brilliant career as a referee and judge, regional and national manager and is still ready to hold positions to offer his valuable contribution of knowledge and experience.

I would like to invite all our Federations to report their oldest members and on behalf of EUBC we will propose a certificate and a commemorative medal for their long militancy in our sport.

EUBC Executive Committee Online Meeting

In February EUBC hold an important EC meeting which provided a framework for discussion of the hottest topic, updated Olympic qualification system. This topic was presented by IOC Sport Director Kit McConnell and IOC BTF staff and EC members had a chance to speak up openly and make sure that the IOC put in place the best principles while adjusting the respective Qualification Systems.  

AIBA European Boxing Forum

The AIBA European Boxing Forum took place via video conference and was followed by numerous federation executives. AIBA President Umar Kremlev chaired the event, which had very important speakers including ASOIF President Francesco Ricci Bitti, Director of the Central School of Sport in Rome Rossana Ciuffetti; AIBA Sport & Development Consultant Ria Ramnarine; Communication Adviser for AIBA President Svetlana Ponkratova, ITA Head of Testing Matteo Vallini, AIBA Legal Consultant Yury Zaytsev.

It was a careful review of important topical issues that have amply illustrated a new role of AIBA in the immediate future and its indispensable function of liaison with all the National Federations of the world.

The presence of an authoritative IOC member such as Francesco Ricci Bitti was hailed as a desirable restart of a dialogue between AIBA and IOC in order to facilitate more rapid reintegration of our International Federation in the Olympic movement, which is our natural home.

Olympic Games Tokyo 2020

Now, I would like to dedicate some remarks on the Tokyo Olympic Games and in particular on the European Olympic Qualification Tournament that concludes the one started in London in March 2020.

The IOC Task Force through President Watanabe Morinari announced that the Tournament will take place in Paris from 4 to 8 June. The choice is undoubtedly very appropriate since Paris will host the 2024 Olympic Games and the French Boxing Federation has always been an example of organizational capacity. I am sure that it will be able to create an excellent competition and ensure everyone a peaceful stay in the French capital.

There should be no more surprises for the Tokyo Games. Although the pandemic levels are still alarming many countries around the world, Japan and the IOC have decided to celebrate these suffered Tokyo Olympic Games 2020 from 23 July to 8 August 2021, putting first the health precautions and protection of all delegations.

In the meantime, a significant number of Olympic Teams including Hungary, Israel, Mexico have already been vaccinated. News are also coming from the USA and Canada that all the athletes who will take part in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, perhaps even before the Olympic Qualifiers, will all be vaccinated. This is a great message to prevent contagions and is a great contribution that significantly favours the organizers.

Painful and premature loss

Another boxing legend has left us prematurely, Marvelous Marvin Hagler. Undefeated middleweight World Champion from 1980 to 1987. He had legendary fights versus Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard. Inducted into International Boxing Hall of Fame and World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993.

EUBC Competitions

February 7 – 13: 65^th Int. Tournament Bocskai Istvan Memorial, Debrecen, HUN

February 15 – 21: Int. Tournament Memory of the Russian soldiers victims in Afghanistan and other flashpoints, Komsomolsk-na-Amure, RUS

February 16 – 22: Int. Tournament Adriatic Pearl, Budva, MNE

February 21 – 28: 72^nd Int. Tournament Strandja, Sofia, BUL

February 22 – 26: Open Regional Tournament in memory of Absolute Champions of USSR A. Yukov, Gomel, BLR