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The International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) has announced the venue of the next edition of the tournament: the German city of Hamburg. Hamburg beat two other bids to be finalised as the host of the biennial event. Hamburg is also in the race to host the 2024 Olympics, reports Times of India.
AIBA President Ching-Kuo Wu said in a statement to the press, “Hamburg proved its appetite for boxing when it held the APB finals in September, and the country's capacity for hosting major sporting events like the AIBA World Boxing Championships is clear.” The President of the German Boxing Federation, Jurgen Kyas, emphasized the significance of the event, saying, that it would “be of huge importance to the continuing growth of German boxing.”
The governing body decided on Hamburg as the host in a meeting of its executive committee in Qatar, where the current World Championships are in progress. The finals will take place on Wednesday and Thursday. AIBA did not disclose who the other two losing bids were, but it would be safe to assume that Russia was one of them, since Sochi, earlier this year, showed interest in hosting the event.
The World Championships serve as Olympic qualifiers, with medal winners gaining berths in the pinnacle event of the sporting world. A change in regulations has made it tougher for boxers to make it through, as only the gold and silver medallists in certain weight divisions and top three in certain others would be awarded a place in the marquee event in Rio.
India’s hopes rest on 22-year-old prodigy Shiva Thapa, as he battles for an Olympic seat on Thursday. The Assamese won bronze in the quarterfinal and will face off against the other bronze medallist for a ticket to the marquee event.
