The women’s world boxing championships will be held in New Delhi in 2023, two years after India was stripped of the rights to host men’s events for failing to pay the required fee to the global governing body. The men’s world championship has never been held in India, but the elite women’s competition will be held for the third time, having previously been held in 2006 and 2018 in New Delhi. “We have got the hosting rights of women’s world championship and are looking to host the event around the end of March and the first week of April,” Boxing Federation of India Secretary General Hemanta Kalita told PTI.
Umar Kremlev, President of the International Boxing Association (IBA), is in the country for the first time, and the dates of the marquee event will be finalised during his visit.
“The dates of the event are yet to be finalised. We will sit down with the IBA president and reach an agreement during his trip,” Kalita added. The tournament is likely to be held at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
The awarding of the event to India is a significant development because the BFI had previously lost the hosting rights to Serbia after failing to pay the hosting fee, prompting the International Boxing Association, then known as (AIBA), to terminate its agreement.
India won three medals at the last edition of the women’s event in Turkey, including gold for Nikhat Zareen in the flyweight category.
Kremlev recently announced that the prize money for the men’s world championship, which will be held in Tashkent next May, will be double that of the previous edition.
It remains to be seen whether the world body will do the same for the women’s event.